48 Laws of Power

LAW 1

NEVER OUTSHINE THE MASTER

Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire

to please or impress them, do not go

too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the

oppositeinspire fear and insecurity. Make

your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the

heights of power.

LAW 2

NEVER PUT TOO MUCH TRUST IN FRIENDS, LEARN HOW TO

USE ENEMIES

Be wary of friendsthey will betray you more quickly, for they are easily

aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a

former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more

to prove. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. If

you have no enemies, find a way to make them.

LAW 3

CONCEAL YOUR INTENTIONS

Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose

behind your actions. If they have no

clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense. Guide them far

enough down the wrong path, envelop

them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it

will be too late.

LAW 4

ALWAYS SAY LESS THAN NECESSARY

When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say,

the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are

saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-

ended, and sphinxlike. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying

less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.

LAW 5

SO MUCH DEPENDS ON REPUTATIONGUARD IT WITH YOUR

LIFE

Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you

can intimidate and win; once it slips, however, you are vulnerable, and will

be attacked on all sides. Make your reputation unassailable. Always be alert

to potential attacks and thwart them before they happen. Meanwhile, learn

to destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputations. Then

stand aside and let public opinion hang them.

LAW 6

COURT ATTENTION AT ALL COST

Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for

nothing. Never let yourself get lost in the

crowd, then, or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all

cost. Make yourself a magnet of attention

by appearing larger, more colorful, more mysterious than the bland and

timid masses.

LAW 7

GET OTHERS TO DO THE WORK FOR YOU, BUT ALWAYS

TAKE THE CREDIT

Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further

your own cause. Not only will such assistance save you valuable time and

energy, it will give you a godlike aura of efficiency and speed. In the end

your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered. Never do

yourself what others can do for you.

LAW 8

MAKE OTHER PEOPLE COME TO YOUUSE BAIT IF

NECESSARY

When you force the other person to act, you are the one in control. It is

always better to make your opponent

come to you, abandoning his own plans in the process. Lure him with

fabulous gainsthen attack. You hold

the cards.

LAW 9

WIN THROUGH YOUR ACTIONS, NEVER THROUGH

ARGUMENT Any momentary triumph you think you have gained through

argument is really a Pyrrhic victory: The resentment and ill will you stir up

is stronger and lasts longer than any momentary change of opinion. It is

much more powerful to get others to agree with you through your actions,

without saying a word. Demonstrate, do not explicate.

LAW 10

INFECTION: AVOID THE UNHAPPY AND UNLUCKY

You can die from someone else's miseryemotional states are as

infectious as diseases. You may feel you are

helping the drowning man but you are only precipitating your own

disaster. The unfortunate sometimes draw

misfortune on themselves; they will also draw it on you. Associate with

the happy and fortunate instead.

LAW 11

LEARN TO KEEP PEOPLE DEPENDENT ON YOU

To maintain your independence you must always be needed and wanted.

The more you are relied on, the more

freedom you have. Make people depend on you for their happiness and

prosperity and you have nothing to fear.

Never teach them enough so that they can do without you.

LAW 12

USE SELECTIVE HONESTY AND GENEROSITY TO DISARM

YOUR VICTIM

One sincere and honest move will cover over dozens of dishonest ones.

Open-hearted gestures of honesty and generosity bringdown the guard of

even the most suspicious people. Once your selective honesty opens a hole

in their armor, you can deceive and manipulate them at will. A timely gifta

Trojan horsewill serve the same purpose.

LAW 13

WHEN ASKING FOR HELP, APPEAL TO PEOPLE'S SELF-

INTEREST, NEVER TO THEIR MERCY OR GRATITUDE If you need to

turn to an ally for help, do not bother to remind him of your past assistance

and good deeds. He will find a way to ignore you. Instead, uncover

something in your request, or in your alliance with him, that will benefit

him, and emphasize it out of all proportion. He will respond enthusiastically

when he sees something to be gained for himself.

LAW 14

POSE AS A FRIEND, WORK AS A SPY

Knowing about your rival is critical. Use spies to gather valuable

information that will keep you a step ahead.

Better still: Play the spy yourself. In polite social encounters, learn to

probe. Ask indirect questions to get people

to reveal their weaknesses and intentions. There is no occasion that is

not an opportunity for artful spying.

LAW 15

CRUSH YOUR ENEMY TOTALLY

All great leaders since Moses have known that a feared enemy must be

crushed completely. (Sometimes they have learned this the hard way.) If

one ember is left alight, no matter how dimly it smolders, afire will

eventually break out. More is lost through stopping halfway than through

total annihilation: The enemy will recover, and will seek revenge. Crush

him, not only in body but in spirit.

LAW 16

USE ABSENCE TO INCREASE RESPECT AND HONOR

Too much circulation makes the price go down: The more you are seen

and heard from, the more common you appear. If you are already

established in a group, temporary withdrawal from it will make you more

talked about, even more admired. You must learn when to leave. Create

value through scarcity.

LAW 17

KEEP OTHERS IN SUSPENDED TERROR: CULTIVATE AN AIR

OF UNPREDICTABILITY

Humans are creatures of habit with an insatiable need to see familiarity

in other people's actions. Your predictability gives them a sense of control.

Turn the tables: Be deliberately unpredictable. Behavior that seems to have

no consistency or purpose will keep them off-balance, and they will wear

themselves out trying to explain your moves. Taken to an extreme, this

strategy can intimidate and terrorize.

LAW 18

DO NOT BUILD FORTRESSES TO PROTECT

YOURSELFISOLATION IS DANGEROUS

The world is dangerous and enemies are everywhereeveryone has to

protect themselves. A fortress seems the safest. But isolation exposes you to

more dangers than it protects you fromit cuts you off from valuable

information, it makes you conspicuous and an easy target. Better to

circulate among people, find allies, mingle. You are shielded from your

enemies by the crowd.

LAW 19

KNOW WHO YOU'RE DEALING WITHDO NOT OFFEND THE

WRONG PERSON

There are many different kinds of people in the world, and you can

never assume that everyone will react to your strategies in the same way.

Deceive or outmaneuver some people and they will spend the rest of their

lives seeking revenge. They are wolves in lambs' clothing. Choose your

victims and opponents carefully, then never offend or deceive the wrong

person.

LAW 20

DO NOT COMMIT TO ANYONE

It is the fool who always rushes to take sides. Do not commit to any side

or cause but yourself. By maintaining

your independence, you become the master of othersplaying people

against one another, making them pursue

you.

LAW 21

PLAY A SUCKER TO CATCH A SUCKERSEEM DUMBER THAN

YOUR MARK

No one likes feeling stupider than the next person. The trick, then, is to

make your victims feel smartand not just smart, but smarter than you are.

Once convinced of this, they will never suspect that you may have ulterior

motives.

LAW 22

USE THE SURRENDER TACTIC: TRANSFORM WEAKNESS INTO

POWER When you are weaker, never fight for honor's sake; choose

surrender instead. Surrender gives you time to recover, time to torment and

irritate your conqueror, time to wait for his power to wane. Do not give him

the satisfaction of fighting and defeating yousurrender first. By turning the

other cheek you infuriate and unsettle him. Make surrender a tool of power.

LAW 23

CONCENTRATE YOUR FORCES Conserve your forces and energies

by keeping them concentrated at theirstrongest point. You gain more by

finding a rich mine and mining it deeper, than by flitting from one shallow

mine to anotherintensity defeats ex-tensity every time. When looking for

sources of power to elevate you, find the one key patron, the fat cow who

will give you milk for a long time to come.

LAW 24

PLAY THE PERFECT COURTIER

The perfect courtier thrives in a world where everything revolves

around power and political dexterity. He has mastered the art of indirection;

he flatters, yields to superiors, and asserts power over others in the most

oblique and graceful manner. Learn and apply the laws of courtiership and

there will be no limit to how far you can rise in the court.

LAW 2 5

RE-CREATE YOURSELF

Do not accept the roles that society foists on you. Re-create yourself by

forging a new identity, one that commands attention and never bores the

audience. Be the master of your own image rather than letting others define

it for you. Incorporate dramatic devices into your public gestures and

actionsyour power will be enhanced and your character will seem larger

than life.

LAW 26

KEEP YOUR HANDS CLEAN

You must seem a paragon of civility and efficiency: Your hands are

never soiled by mistakes and nasty deeds. Maintain such a spotless

appearance by using others as scapegoats and cat's-paws to disguise your

involvement.

LAW 2 7

PLAY ON PEOPLE'S NEED TO BELIEVE TO CREATE A

CULTLIKE FOLLOWING

People have an overwhelming desire to believe in something. Become

the focal point of such desire by offering them a cause, a new faith to

follow. Keep your words vague but full of promise; emphasize enthusiasm

over rationality and clear thinking. Give your new disciples rituals to

perform, ask them to make sacrifices on your behalf. In the absence of

organized religion and grand causes, your new belief system will bring you

untold power.

ENTER ACTION WITH BOLDNESS

If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts

and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to

enter with boldness. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily

corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors

the timid.

LAW 29

PLAN ALL THE WAY TO THE END

The ending is everything. Plan all the way to it, taking into account all

the possible consequences, obstacles, and twists of fortune that might

reverse your hard work and give the glory to others. By planning to the end

you will not be overwhelmed by circumstances and you will know when to

stop. Gently guide fortune and help determine the future by thinking far

ahead.

LAW 30

MAKE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS SEEM EFFORTLESS

Your actions must seem natural and executed with ease. All the toil and

practice that go into them, and also all the clever tricks, must be concealed.

When you act, act effortlessly, as if you could do much more. Avoid the

temptation of revealing how hard you workit only raises questions. Teach

no one your tricks or they will be used against you.

LAW 31

CONTROL THE OPTIONS: GET OTHERS TO PLAY WITH THE

CARDS YOU DEAL

The best deceptions are the ones that seem to give the other person a

choice: Your victims feel they are in control, but are actually your puppets.

Give people options that come out in your favor whichever one they

choose. Forte them to make choices between the lesser of two evils, both of

which serve your purpose. Put them on the horns of a dilemma: They are

gored wherever they turn.

LAW 32

PLAY TO PEOPLE'S FANTASIES

The truth is often avoided because it is ugly and unpleasant. Never

appeal to truth and reality unless you are prepared for the anger that comes

from disenchantment. Life is so harsh and distressing that people who can

manufacture romance or conjure up fantasy are like oases in the desert:

Everyone flocks to them. There is great power in tapping into the fantasies

of the masses.

LAW 3 3

DISCOVER EACH MAN'S THUMBSCREW

Everyone has a weakness, a gap in the castle wall. That weakness is

usually an insecurity, an uncontrollable

emotion or need; it can also be a small secret pleasure. Either way, once

found, it is a thumbscrew you can turn

to your advantage.

LAW 34

BE ROYAL IN YOUR OWN FASHION: ACT LIKE A KING TO BE

TREATED LIKE ONE

The way you carry yourself will often determine how you are treated: In

the long run, appearing vulgar or common will make people disrespect you.

For a king respects himself and inspires the same sentiment in others. By

acting regally and confident of your powers, you make yourself seem

destined to wear a crown.

LAW 35

MASTER THE ART OF TIMING

Never seem to be in a hurryhurrying betrays a lack of control over

yourself and over time. Always seem patient, as if you know that

everything will come to you eventually. Become a detective of the right

moment; sniff out the spirit of the times, the trends that will carry you to

power. Learn to stand back when the time is not yet ripe, and to strike

fiercely when it has reached fruition.

LAW 36

DISDAIN THINGS YOU CANNOT HAVE: IGNORING THEM IS

THE BEST REVENGE

By acknowledging a petty problem you give it existence and credibility.

The more attention you pay an enemy, the stronger you make him; and a

small mistake is often made worse and more visible when you try to fix it.

It is sometimes best to leave things alone. If there is something you want

but cannot have, show contempt for it. The less interest you reveal, the

more superior you seem.

LAW 37

CREATE COMPELLING SPECTACLES

Striking imagery and grand symbolic gestures create the aura of

powereveryone responds to them. Stage spectacles for those around you,

then, full of arresting visuals and radiant symbols that heighten your

presence. Dazzled by appearances, no one will notice what you are really

doing.

LAW 38

THINK AS YOU LIKE BUT BEHAVE LIKE OTHERS

If you make a show of going against the times, flaunting your

unconventional ideas and unorthodox ways, people will think that you only

want attention and that you look down upon them. They will find a way to

punish you for making them feel inferior. It is far safer to blend in and

nurture the common touch. Share your originality only with tolerant friends

and those who an sure to appreciate your uniqueness.

LAW 39

STIR UP WATERS TO CATCH FISH

Anger and emotion are strategically counterproductive. You must

always stay calm and objective. But if you

can make your enemies angry while staying calm yourself, you gain a

decided advantage. Put your enemies

off-balance: Find the chink in their vanity through which you can rattle

them and you hold the strings.

LAW 40

DESPISE THE FREE LUNCH

What is offered for free is dangerousit usually involves either a trick or

a hidden obligation. What has worth is worth paying for. By paying your

own way you stay clear of gratitude, guilt, and deceit. It is also often wise

to pay the full pricethere is no cutting corners with excellence. Be lavish

with your money and keep it circulating, for generosity is a sign and a

magnet for power.

LAW 41

AVOID STEPPING INTO A GREAT MAN'S SHOES

What happens first always appears better and more original than what

comes after. If you succeed a great man or have a famous parent, you will

have to accomplish double their achievements to outshine them. Do not get

lost in their shadow, or stuck in a past not of your own making: Establish

your own name and identity by changing course. Slay the overbearing

father, disparage his legacy, and gain power by shining in your own way.

LAW 42

STRIKE THE SHEPHERD AND THE SHEEP WILL SCATTER

Trouble can often be traced to a single strong individualthe stirrer, the

arrogant underling, the poisoner of goodwill. If you allow such people room

to operate, others will succumb to their influence. Do not wait for the

troubles they cause to multiply, do not try to negotiate with themthey are

irredeemable. Neutralize their influence by isolating or banishing them.

Strike at the source of the trouble and the sheep will scatter.

LAW 43

WORK ON THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF OTHERS

Coercion creates a reaction that will eventually work against you. You

must seduce others into wanting to move in your direction. A person you

have seduced becomes your loyal pawn. And the way to seduce others is to

operate on their individual psychologies and weaknesses. Soften up the

resistant by working on their emotions, playing on what they hold dear and

what they fear. Ignore the hearts and minds of others and they will grow to

hate you.

LAW 44

DISARM AND INFURIATE WITH THE MIRROR EFFECT

The mirror reflects reality, but it is also the perfect tool for deception:

When you mirror your enemies, doing exactly as they do, they cannot

figure out your strategy. The Mirror Effect mocks and humiliates them,

making them overreact. By holding up a mirror to their psyches, you seduce

them with the illusion that you share their values; by holding up a mirror to

their actions, you teach them a lesson. Few can resist the power of the

Mirror Effect.

LAW 45

PREACH THE NEED FOR CHANGE, BUT NEVER REFORM TOO

MUCH AT ONCE Everyone understands the need for change in the

abstract, but on the day-to-day level people are creatures of habit. Too much

innovation is traumatic, and will lead to revolt. If you are new to a position

of power, or an outsider trying to build a power base, make a show of

respecting the old way of doing things. If change is necessary, make it feel

like a gentle improvement on the past.

LAW 46

NEVER APPEAR TOO PERFECT

Appearing better than others is always dangerous, but most dangerous

of all is to appear to have no faults or weaknesses. Envy creates silent

enemies. It is smart to occasionally display defects, and admit to harmless

vices, in order to deflect envy and appear more human and approachable.

Only gods and the dead can seem perfect with impunity.

LAW 47

DO NOT GO PAST THE MARK YOU AIMED FOR; IN VICTORY,

LEARN WHEN TO STOP

The moment of victory is often the moment of greatest peril. In the heat

of victory, arrogance and overconfi-dence can push you past the goal you

had aimed for, and by going too far, you make more enemies than you

defeat. Do not allow success to go to your head. There is no substitute for

strategy and careful planning. Set a goal, and when you reach it, stop.

LAW 48

ASSUME FORMLESSNESS

By taking a shape, by having a visible plan, you open yourself to attack.

Instead of taking a form for your enemy to grasp, keep yourself adaptable

and on the move. Accept the fact that nothing is certain and no law is fixed.

The best way to protect yourself is to be as fluid and formless as water;

never bet on stability or lasting order. Everything changes.

48 Laws of Power

PREFACE

The feeling of having no power over people and events is generally

unbearable to uswhen we feel helpless we feel miserable. No one wants less

power; everyone wants more. In the world today, however, it is dangerous

to seem too power hungry, to be overt with your power moves. We have to

seem fair and decent. So we need to be subdecongenial yet cunning,

democratic yet devious.

This game of constant duplicity most resembles the power dynamic that

existed in the scheming world of the old aristocratic court. Throughout

history, a court has always formed itself around the person in powerking,

queen, emperor, leader. The courtiers who filled this court were in an

especially delicate position: They had to serve their masters, but if they

seemed to fawn, if they curried favor too obviously, the other courtiers

around them would notice and would act against them. Attempts to win the

master's favor, then, had to be subde. And even skilled courtiers capable of

such subdety still had to protect themselves from their fellow courtiers, who

at all moments were scheming to push them aside.

Meanwhile the court was supposed to represent the height of

civilization and refinement. Violent or overt power moves were frowned

upon; courtiers would work silendy and secredy against any among them

who used force. This was die courtier's dilemma: While appearing the very

paragon of elegance, tiiey had to outwit and diwart their own opponents in

the subdest of ways. The successful courtier learned over time to make all

of his moves indirect; if he stabbed an opponent in the back, it was widi a

velvet glove on his hand and the sweetest of smiles on his face. Instead of

using coercion or outright treachery, the perfect courtier got his way

through seduction, charm, deception, and subde strategy, always planning

several moves ahead. Life in die court was a never-ending game tfiat

required constant vigilance and tactical thinking. It was civilized war.

Today we face a peculiarly similar paradox to diat of the courtier:

Everything must appear civilized, decent, democratic, and fair. But if we

play by those rules too stricdy, if we take them too literally, we are crushed

by tiiose around us who are not so foolish. As the great Renaissance

diplomat and courtier Niccolo Machiavelli wrote, “Any man who tries to be

good all die time is bound to come to ruin among die great number who are

not good.” The court imagined itself die pinnacle of refinement, but

underneath its glittering surface a cauldron of dark emotionsgreed, envy,

lust, hatredboiled and simmered. Our world today similarly imagines itself

the pinnacle of fairness, yet the same ugly emotions still stir within us, as

they have forever. The game is the same. Outwardly, you must seem to

respect the niceties, but inwardly, unless you are a fool, you learn quickly to

be prudent, and to do as Napoleon advised: Place your iron hand inside a

velvet glove. If, like the courtier of times gone by, you can master the arts

of indirection, learning to seduce, charm, deceive, and subtiy outmaneuver

your opponents, you will attain the heights of power. You will be able to

make people bend to your will without their realizing what you have done.

And if they do not realize what you have done, they will neitfier resent nor

resist you.

To some people the notion of consciously playing power gamesno

matter how indirectseems evil, asocial, a relic of the past. They believe they

can opt out of the game by behaving in ways that have nothing to do with

power. You must beware of such people, for while diey express such

opinions outwardly, they are often among the most adept players at power.

They utilize strategies that cleverly disguise the nature of the manipulation

involved. These types, for example, will often display their weakness and

lack of power as a kind of moral virtue. But true powerlessness, without any

motive of self-interest, would not publicize its weakness to gain sympathy

or respect. Making a show of one's weakness is actually a very effective

strategy, subtle and deceptive, in the game of power (see Law 22, the

Surrender Tactic).

Another strategy of the supposed nonplayer is to demand equality in

every area of life. Everyone must be treated alike, whatever tiieir status and

strength. But if, to avoid die taint of power, you attempt to treat everyone

equally and fairly, you will confront the problem diat some people do

certain things better than others. Treating everyone equally means ignoring

their differences, elevating the less skillful and suppressing those who

excel. Again, many of diose who behave this way are actually deploying

another power strategy, redistributing people's rewards in a way that they

determine.

Yet another way of avoiding the game would be perfect honesty and

straightforwardness, since one of the main techniques of those who seek

power is deceit and secrecy. But being perfectly honest will inevitably hurt

and insult a great many people, some of whom will choose to injure you in

return. No one will see your honest statement as completely objective and

free of some personal motivation. And they will be right: In truth, the use of

honesty is indeed a power strategy, intended to convince people of one's

noble, good-hearted, selfless character. It is a form of persuasion, even a

subde form of coercion.

Finally, those who claim to be nonplayers may affect an air of naivete,

to protect them from the accusation that they are after power. Beware again,

however, for die appearance of naivete can be an effective means of

deceit (see Law 21, Seem Dumber Than Your Mark). And even genuine

naivete is not free of the snares of power. Children may be naive in many

ways, but they often act from an elemental need to gain control over those

around them. Children suffer greatiy from feeling powerless in the adult

world, and they use any means available to get their way. Genuinely

innocent people may still be playing for power, and are often horribly

effective at the game, since they are not hindered by reflection. Once again,

those who make a show or display of innocence are the least innocent of all.

You can recognize these supposed nonplayers by the way they flaunt

their moral qualities, their piety, their exquisite sense of justice. But since

all of us hunger for power, and almost all of our actions are aimed at

gaining it, the nonplayers are merely throwing dust in our eyes, distracting

us from their power plays with their air of moral superiority. If you observe

them closely, you will see in fact that they are often the ones most skillful at

indirect manipulation, even if some of them practice it unconsciously. And

they greatly resent any publicizing of the tactics they use every day.

If the world is like a giant scheming court and we are trapped inside it,

there is no use in trying to opt out of the game. That will only render you

powerless, and powerlessness will make you miserable. Instead of

struggling against the inevitable, instead of arguing and whining and feeling

guilty, it is far better to excel at power. In fact, the better you are at dealing

with power, the better friend, lover, husband, wife, and person you become.

By following the route of the perfect courtier (see Law 24) you learn to

make others feel better about themselves, becoming a source of pleasure to

them. They will grow dependent on your abilities and desirous of your

presence. By mastering the 48 laws in this book, you spare others the pain

that comes from bungling with powerby playing with fire without knowing

its properties. If the game of power is inescapable, better to be an artist than

a denier or a bungler.

The only means to gain one's ends with people are force and cunning.

Love also, they say; but that is to wait for sunshine, and life needs every

moment.

Learning the game of power requires a certain way of looking at the

world, a shifting of perspective. It takes effort and years of practice, for

much of the game may not come naturally. Certain basic skills are required,

and once you master these skills you will be able to apply the laws of power

more easily.

The most important of these skills, and power's crucial foundation, the

ability to master your emotions. An emotional response to a situation the

single greatest barrier to power, a mistake that will cost you a lot more than

any temporary satisfaction you might gain by expressing your feelings.

Emotions cloud reason, and if you cannot see the situation clearly, you

cannot prepare for and respond to it with any degree of control.

Anger is the most destructive of emotional responses, for it clouds your

vision the most. It also has a ripple effect that invariably makes situations

less controllable and heightens your enemy's resolve. If you are trying to

destroy an enemy who has hurt you, far better to keep him off-guard by

feigning friendliness than showing your anger.

I thought to myself

with what means, with

what deceptions, with

how many varied arts,

with what industry a

man sharpens his wits

to deceive another,

and through these

variations the world is

made more beautiful

Francesco Vettori,

contemporary and

friend of

Machiavelli,

early sixteenth

CENTURY

There are no principles; there are only events. There is no good and bad,

there are only circumstances. The superior man espouses events and

circumstances in order to guide them. If there were principles and fixed

laws, nations would not change them as we change our shirts and a man can

not be expected to be wiser than an entire nation.

Honore de Balzac, 1799-1850

Love and affection are also potentially destructive, in that they blind

you to die often self-serving interests of those whom you least suspect of

playing a power game. You cannot repress anger or love, or avoid feeling

them, and you should not try. But you should be careful about how you

express them, and most important, they should never influence your plans

and strategies in any way.

Related to mastering your emotions is the ability to distance yourself

from the present moment and think objectively about the past and future.

Like Janus, the double-faced Roman deity and guardian of all gates and

doorways, you must be able to look in bodi directions at once, the better to

handle danger from wherever it comes. Such is the face you must create for

yourselfone face looking continuously to the future and die odier to the

past.

For the future, die motto is, “No days unalert.” Nothing should catch

you by surprise because you are constandy imagining problems before they

arise. Instead of spending your time dreaming of your plan's happy ending,

you must work on calculating every possible permutation and pitfall that

might emerge in it. The further you see, the more steps ahead you plan, die

more powerful you become.

The other face of Janus looks constandy to the pastdiough not to

remember past hurts or bear grudges. That would only curb your power.

Half of die game is learning how to forget those events in die past that eat

away at you and cloud your reason. The real purpose of the backward-

glancing eye is to educate yourself constantlyyou look at the past to learn

from those who came before you. (The many historical examples in this

book will gready help that process.) Then, having looked to die past, you

look closer at hand, to your own actions and diose of your friends. This is

die most vital school you can learn from, because it comes from personal

experience.

You begin by examining the mistakes you have made in die past, die

ones diat have most grievously held you back. You analyze diem in terms of

the 48 laws of power, and you extract from them a lesson and an oath: “I

shall never repeat such a mistake; I shall never fall into such a trap again.”

If you can evaluate and observe yourself in this way, you can learn to break

the patterns of the pastan immensely valuable skill.

Power requires the ability to play with appearances. To this end you

must learn to wear many masks and keep a bag full of deceptive tricks.

Deception and masquerade should not be seen as ugly or immoral. All

human interaction requires deception on many levels, and in some ways

what separates humans from animals is our ability to lie and deceive. In

Greek myths, in India's Mahabharata cycle, in the Middle Eastern epic of

Gilga-mesh, it is the privilege of the gods to use deceptive arts; a great man,

Odysseus for instance, was judged by his ability to rival the craftiness of the

gods, stealing some of dieir divine power by matching them in wits and

deception. Deception is a developed art of civilization and die most potent

weapon in the game of power.

You cannot succeed at deception unless you take a somewhat distanced

approach to yourselfunless you can be many different people, wearing the

mask that the day and the moment require. With such a flexible approach to

all appearances, including your own, you lose a lot of the inward heaviness

that holds people down. Make your face as malleable as the actor's, work to

conceal your intentions from others, practice luring people into traps.

Playing with appearances and mastering arts of deception are among the

aesthetic pleasures of life. They are also key components in die acquisition

of power.

If deception is the most potent weapon in your arsenal, then patience in

all things is your crucial shield. Patience will protect you from making

moronic blunders. Like mastering your emotions, patience is a skillit does

not come naturally. But nothing about power is natural; power is more

godlike than anything in the natural world. And patience is the supreme

virtue of the gods, who have nothing but time. Everything good will

happenthe grass will grow again, if you give it time and see several steps

into the future. Impatience, on the other hand, only makes you look weak. It

is a principal impediment to power.

Power is essentially amoral and one of the most important skills to

acquire is the ability to see circumstances rather than good or evil. Power is

a gamethis cannot be repeated too oftenand in games you do not judge your

opponents by dieir intentions but by the effect of dieir actions. You measure

their strategy and their power by what you can see and feel. How often are

someone's intentions made the issue only to cloud and deceive! What does

it matter if another player, your friend or rival, intended good things and

had only your interests at heart, if the effects of his action lead to so much

ruin and confusion It is only natural for people to cover up their actions

with all kinds of justifications, always assuming that they have acted out of

goodness. You must learn to inwardly laugh each time you hear this and

never get caught up in gauging someone's intentions and actions through a

set of moral judgments that are really an excuse for the accumulation of

power.

It is a game. Your opponent sits opposite you. Both of you behave as

gendemen or ladies, observing the rules of the game and taking nodiing

personally. You play with a strategy and you observe your opponent's

moves with as much calmness as you can muster. In die end, you will

appreciate the politeness of those you are playing with more than their good

and sweet intentions. Train your eye to follow the results of dieir moves, the

outward circumstances, and do not be distracted by anything else.

Half of your mastery of power comes from what you do not do, what

you do not allow yourself to get dragged into. For this skill you must learn

to judge all mings by what diey cost you. As Nietzsche wrote, “The value

of a thing sometimes lies not in what one attains with it, but in what one

pays for itwhat it costs us.” Perhaps you will attain your goal, and a worthy

goal at that, but at what price Apply this standard to everydiing, including

wheuier to collaborate wim other people or come to their aid. In die end,

life is short, opportunities are few, and you have only so much energy to

draw on. And in this sense time is as important a consideration as any other.

Never waste valuable time, or mental peace of mind, on the affairs of

othersthat is too high a price to pay.

Power is a social game. To learn and master it, you must develop die

ability to study and understand people. As the great seventeenth-century

thinker and courtier Baltasar Gracian wrote: “Many people spend time

studying die properties of animals or herbs; how much more important it

would be to study those of people, with whom we must live or die!” To be a

master player you must also be a master psychologist. You must recognize

motivations and see through the cloud of dust with which people surround

their actions. An understanding of people's hidden motives is die single

greatest piece of knowledge you can have in acquiring power. It opens up

endless possibilities of deception, seduction, and manipulation.

People are of infinite complexity and you can spend a lifetime watching

them without ever fully understanding them. So it is all the more important,

dien, to begin your education now. In doing so you must also keep one

principle in mind: Never discriminate as to whom you study and whom you

trust. Never trust anyone completely and study everyone, including friends

and loved ones.

Finally, you must learn always to take the indirect route to power.

Disguise your cunning. Like a billiard ball that caroms several times before

it hits its target, your moves must be planned and developed in the least

obvious way. By training yourself to be indirect, you can thrive in the

modern court, appearing die paragon of decency while being the

consummate manipulator.

Consider The 48 Laws of Power a kind of handbook on the arts of

indirection. The laws are based on die writings of men and women who

have studied and mastered the game of power. These writings span a period

of more dian three diousand years and were created in civilizations as

disparate as ancient China and Renaissance Italy; yet they share common

threads and themes, together hinting at an essence of power diat has yet to

be fully articulated. The 48 laws of power are the distillation of this

accumulated wisdom, gadiered from the writings of the most illustrious

strategists (Sun-tzu, Clausewitz), statesmen (Bismarck, Talleyrand),

courtiers (Castiglione, Gracian), seducers (Ninon de Lenclos, Casanova),

and con artists (“Yellow Kid” Weil) in history.

The laws have a simple premise: Certain actions almost always increase

one's power (the observance of the law), while otfiers decrease it and even

ruin us (the transgression of die law). These transgressions and observances

are illustrated by historical examples. The laws are timeless and definitive.

The 48 Laws of Power can be used in several ways. By reading die

book straight through you can learn about power in general. Although

several of the laws may seem not to pertain direcdy to your life, in time you

will

probably find that all of them have some application, and that in fact

they are interrelated. By getting an overview of the entire subject you will

best be able to evaluate your own past actions and gain a greater degree of

control over your immediate affairs. A thorough reading of the book will

inspire thinking and reevaluation long after you finish it.

The book has also been designed for browsing and for examining the

law that seems at mat particular moment most pertinent to you. Say you are

experiencing problems with a superior and cannot understand why your

efforts have not lead to more gratitude or a promotion. Several laws

specifically address the master-underling relationship, and you are almost

certainly transgressing one of them. By browsing the initial paragraphs for

the 48 laws in the table of contents, you can identify the pertinent law.

Finally, the book can be browsed through and picked apart for

entertainment, for an enjoyable ride through the foibles and great deeds of

our predecessors in power. A warning, however, to those who use the book

for this purpose: It might be better to turn back. Power is endlessly

seductive and deceptive in its own way. It is a labyrinthyour mind becomes

consumed widi solving its infinite problems, and you soon realize how

pleas-andy lost you have become. In other words, it becomes most amusing

by taking it seriously. Do not be frivolous with such a critical matter. The

gods of power frown on the frivolous; they give ultimate satisfaction only

to those who study and reflect, and punish tiiose who skim the surfaces

looking for a good time.

Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin

among the great number who are not good. Hence a prince who wants to

keep his authority must learn how not to be good, and use that knowledge,

or refrain from using it, as necessity requires.

The Prince, Niccolb Machiavelli, 1469-1527

48 Laws of Power

LAW 1

NEVER OUTSHINE THE MASTER

JUDGMENT

Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire

to please and impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or

you might accomplish the oppositeinspire fear and insecurity. Make your

masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of

power.

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

Nicolas Fouquet, Louis XIV's finance minister in the first years of his

reign, was a generous man who loved lavish parties, pretty women, and

poetry. He also loved money, for he led an extravagant lifestyle. Fouquet

was clever and very much indispensable to the king, so when the prime

minister, Jules Mazarin, died, in 1661, the finance minister expected to be

named the successor. Instead, the king decided to abolish the position. This

and other signs made Fouquet suspect that he was falling out of favor, and

so he decided to ingratiate himself with the king by staging the most

spectacular party the world had ever seen. The party's ostensible purpose

would be to commemorate the completion of Fouquet's chateau, Vaux-le-

Vicomte, but its real function was to pay tribute to the king, the guest of

honor.

The most brilliant nobility of Europe and some of the greatest minds of

the timeLa Fontaine, La Rochefoucauld, Madame de Sevigne attended the

party. Moliere wrote a play for the occasion, in which he himself was to

perform at the evening's conclusion. The party began with a lavish seven-

course dinner, featuring foods from the Orient never before tasted in France,

as well as new dishes created especially for the night. The meal was

accompanied with music commissioned by Fouquet to honor the king.

After dinner there was a promenade through the chateau's gardens. The

grounds and fountains of Vaux-le-Vicomte were to be the inspiration for

Versailles.

Fouquet personally accompanied the young king through the

geometrically aligned arrangements of shrubbery and flower beds. Arriving

at the gardens' canals, they witnessed a fireworks display, which was

followed by the performance of Moliere's play. The party ran well into the

night and everyone agreed it was the most amazing affair they had ever

attended.

The next day, Fouquet was arrested by the king's head musketeer,

D'Artagnan. Three months later he went on trial for stealing from the

country's treasury. (Actually, most of the stealing he was accused of he had

done on the king's behalf and with the king's permission.) Fouquet was

found guilty and sent to the most isolated prison in France, high in the

Pyrenees Mountains, where he spent die last twenty years of his life in

solitary confinement.

Interpretation

Louis XIV, the Sun King, was a proud and arrogant man who wanted to

be the center of attention at all times; he could not countenance being

outdone in lavishness by anyone, and certainly not his finance minister. To

succeed Fouquet, Louis chose Jean-Baptiste Colbert, a man famous for his

parsimony and for giving the dullest parties in Paris. Colbert made sure that

any money liberated from the treasury went straight into Louis's hands.

With the money, Louis built a palace even more magnificent than

Fouquet'sthe glorious palace of Versailles. He used the same architects,

decorators, and garden designer. And at Versailles, Louis hosted parties

even more extravagant uian the one that cost Fouquet his freedom.

Let us examine the situation. The evening of the party, as Fouquet

presented spectacle on spectacle to Louis, each more magnificent than the

one before, he imagined the affair as demonstrating his loyalty and devotion

to the king. Not only did he think the party would put him back in die king's

favor, he thought it would show his good taste, his connections, and his

popularity, making him indispensable to die king and demonstrating that he

would make an excellent prime minister. Instead, however, each new

spectacle, each appreciative smile bestowed by the guests on Fouquet, made

it seem to Louis that his own friends and subjects were more charmed by

the finance minister dian by the king himself, and that Fouquet was actually

flaunting his wealth and power. Rather than flattering Louis XIV, Fouquet's

elaborate party offended the king's vanity. Louis would not admit this to

anyone, of courseinstead, he found a convenient excuse to rid himself of a

man who had inadvertently made him feel insecure.

Such is the fate, in some form or other, of all those who unbalance the

master's sense of self, poke holes in his vanity, or make him doubt his

preeminence.

When the evening began, Fouquet was at the top of the world. By the

time it had ended, he was at the bottom.

Voltaire, 1694-1778

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

In the early 1600s, the Italian astronomer and mathematician Galileo

found himself in a precarious position. He depended on the generosity of

great rulers to support his research, and so, like all Renaissance scientists,

he would sometimes make gifts of his inventions and discoveries to the

leading patrons of the time. Once, for instance, he presented a military

compass he had invented to the Duke of Gonzaga. Then he dedicated a

book explaining the use of the compass to the Medicis. Both rulers were

grateful, and dirough them Galileo was able to find more students to teach.

No matter how great the discovery, however, his patrons usually paid him

with gifts, not cash. This made for a life of constant insecurity and

dependence. There must be an easier way, he thought.

Galileo hit on a new strategy in 1610, when he discovered the moons of

Jupiter. Instead of dividing the discovery among his patronsgiving one the

telescope he had used, dedicating a book to another, and so onas he had

done in the past, he decided to focus exclusively on the Medicis. He chose

the Medicis for one reason: Shortly after Cosimo I had established the

Medici dynasty, in 1540, he had made Jupiter, the mightiest of the gods, the

Medici symbola symbol of a power that went beyond politics and banking,

one linked to ancient Rome and its divinities.

Galileo turned his discovery of Jupiter's moons into a cosmic event

honoring the Medicis' greatness. Shortly after the discovery, he

announced that “the bright stars [the moons of Jupiter] offered themselves

in the heavens” to his telescope at the same time as Cosimo IPs

enthronement. He said that the number of the moonsfourharmonized with

the number of the Medicis (Cosimo II had three brothers) and that the

moons orbited Jupiter as these four sons revolved around Cosimo I, the

dynasty's founder. More than coincidence, this showed that the heavens

themselves reflected the ascendancy of the Medici family. After he

dedicated the discovery to the Medicis, Galileo commissioned an emblem

representing Jupiter sitting on a cloud with the four stars circling about him,

and presented this to Cosimo II as a symbol of his link to the stars.

In 1610 Cosimo II made Galileo his official court philosopher and

mathematician, with a full salary. For a scientist this was the coup of a

lifetime. The days of begging for patronage were over.

Interpretation

In one stroke, Galileo gained more with his new strategy than he had in

years of begging. The reason is simple: All masters want to appear more

brilliant than other people.

They do not care about science or empirical trutii or the latest invention;

they care about their name and their glory. Galileo gave the Medicis

infinitely more glory by linking their name with cosmic forces than he had

by making them the patrons of some new scientific gadget or discovery.

Scientists are not spared the vagaries of court life and patronage. They

too must serve masters who hold the purse strings. And their great

intellectual powers can make the master feel insecure, as if he were only

there to supply the fundsan ugly, ignoble job. The producer of a great work

wants to feel he is more than just the provider of the financing. He wants to

appear creative and powerful, and also more important than the work

produced in his name. Instead of insecurity you must give him glory.

Galileo did not challenge the intellectual authority of the Medicis with his

discovery, or make them feel inferior in any way; by literally aligning them

with the stars, he made them shine brilliantly among the courts of Italy. He

did not outshine the master, he made the master outshine all others.

KEYS TO POWER

Everyone has insecurities. When you show yourself in the world and

display your talents, you naturally stir up all kinds of resentment, envy, and

other manifestations of insecurity. This is to be expected. You cannot spend

your life worrying about the petty feelings of others. With those above you,

however, you must take a different approach: When it comes to power,

outshining the master is perhaps the worst mistake of all.

Do not fool yourself into thinking that life has changed much since the

days of Louis XIV and the Medicis. Those who attain high standing in life

are like kings and queens: They want to feel secure in their positions, and

superior to those around them in intelligence, wit, and charm. It is a

deadly but common misperception to believe that by displaying and

vaunting your gifts and talents, you are winning die master's affection. He

may feign appreciation, but at his first opportunity he will replace you with

someone less intelligent, less attractive, less threatening, just as Louis XIV

replaced the sparkling Fouquet with the bland Colbert. And as with Louis,

he will not admit the truth, but will find an excuse to rid himself of your

presence.

This Law involves two rules that you must realize. First, you can

inadvertently outshine a master simply by being yourself. There are masters

who are more insecure than others, monstrously insecure; you may

naturally outshine them by your charm and grace.

No one had more natural talents than Astorre Manfredi, prince of

Faenza. The most handsome of all the young princes of Italy, he captivated

his subjects with his generosity and open spirit.

In the year 1500, Cesare Borgia laid siege to Faenza. When the city

surrendered, the citizens expected the worst from the cruel Borgia, who,

however, decided to spare the town: He simply occupied its fortress,

executed none of its citizens, and allowed Prince Manfredi, eighteen at the

time, to remain with his court, in complete freedom.

A few weeks later, though, soldiers hauled Astorre Manfredi away to a

Roman prison. A year after that, his body was fished out of the River Tiber,

a stone tied around his neck. Borgia justified the horrible deed with some

sort of trumped-up charge of treason and conspiracy, but the real problem

was that he was notoriously vain and insecure. The young man was

outshining him without even trying. Given Manfredi's natural talents, the

prince's mere presence made Borgia seem less attractive and charismatic.

The lesson is simple: If you cannot help being charming and superior, you

must learn to avoid such monsters of vanity. Either that, or find a way to

mute your good qualities when in the company of a Cesare Borgia.

Second, never imagine that because the master loves you, you can do

anything you want. Entire books could be written about favorites who fell

out of favor by taking their status for granted, for daring to outshine. In late-

sixteenth-century Japan, the favorite of Emperor Hideyoshi was a man

called Sen no Rikyu. The premier artist of the tea ceremony, which had

become an obsession with the nobility, he was one of Hideyoshi's most

trusted advisers, had his own apartment in the palace, and was honored

throughout Japan. Yet in 1591, Hideyoshi had him arrested and sentenced to

death. Rikyu took his own life, instead. The cause for his sudden change of

fortune was discovered later: It seems that Rikyu, former peasant and later

court favorite, had had a wooden statue made of himself wearing sandals (a

sign of nobility) and posing loftily. He had had this statue placed in the

most important temple inside the palace gates, in clear sight of the royalty

who often would pass by. To Hideyoshi this signified that Rikyu had no

sense of limits. Presuming that he had the same rights as those of the

highest nobility, he had forgotten that his position depended on the emperor,

and had come to believe that he had earned it on his own. This was

an unforgivable miscalculation of his own importance and he paid for it

with his life. Remember the following: Never take your position for granted

and never let any favors you receive go to your head.

Knowing the dangers of outshining your master, you can turn tiiis Law

to your advantage. First you must flatter and puff up your master. Overt

flattery can be effective but has its limits; it is too direct and obvious, and

looks bad to other courtiers. Discreet flattery is much more powerful. If you

are more intelligent than your master, for example, seem the opposite: Make

him appear more intelligent than you. Act naive. Make it seem that you

need his expertise. Commit harmless mistakes that will not hurt you in the

long run but will give you die chance to ask for his help. Masters adore

such requests. A master who cannot bestow on you the gifts of his

experience may direct rancor and ill will at you instead.

If your ideas are more creative dian your master's, ascribe them to him,

in as public a manner as possible. Make it clear that your advice is merely

an echo of his advice.

If you surpass your master in wit, it is okay to play the role of the court

jester, but do not make him appear cold and surly by comparison. Tone

down your humor if necessary, and find ways to make him seem the

dispenser of amusement and good cheer. If you are naturally more sociable

and generous than your master, be careful not to be the cloud that blocks his

radiance from odiers. He must appear as the sun around which everyone

revolves, radiating power and brilliance, die center of attention. If you are

dirust into the position of entertaining him, a display of your limited means

may win you his sympathy. Any attempt to impress him with your grace

and generosity can prove fatal: Learn from Fouquet or pay die price.

In all of diese cases it is not a weakness to disguise your strengdis if in

die end they lead to power. By letting others outshine you, you remain in

control, instead of being a victim of tiieir insecurity. This will all come in

handy the day you decide to rise above your inferior status. If, like Galileo,

you can make your master shine even more in the eyes of odiers, then you

are a godsend and you will be instantiy promoted.

Image:

The Stars in the

Sky. There can be only

one sun at a time. Never

obscure the sunlight, or

rival the sun's brilliance;

rather, fade into the sky and

find ways to heighten

the master star's

intensity.

Authority: Avoid outshining the master. All superiority is odious, but

the superiority of a subject over his prince is not only stupid, it is fatal. This

is a lesson that the stars in the sky teach usthey may be related to the sun,

and just as brilliant, but they never appear in her company. (Baltasar

Gracian, 1601-1658)

REVERSAL

You cannot worry about upsetting every person you come across, but

you must be selectively cruel. If your superior is a falling star, there is

nothing to fear from outshining him. Do not be mercifulyour master had no

such scruples in his own cold-blooded climb to the top. Gauge his strength.

If he is weak, discreetly hasten his downfall: Outdo, outcharm, outsmart

him at key moments. If he is very weak and ready to fall, let nature take its

course. Do not risk outshining a feeble superiorit might appear cruel or

spiteful. But if your master is firm in his position, yet you know yourself to

be the more capable, bide your time and be patient. It is the natural course

of things that power eventually fades and weakens. Your master will fall

someday, and if you play it right, you will oudive and someday outshine

him.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 2

NEVER PUT TOO MUCH

TRUST IN FRIENDS, LEARN

HOW TO USE ENEMIES

JUDGMENT

Be wary of friendsthey will betray you more quickly, for they are easily

aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a

former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more

to prove. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. If

you have no enemies, find a way to make them.

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

In the mid-ninth century A.D., a young man named Michael III assumed

the dirone of the Byzantine Empire. His mother, the Empress Theodora, had

been banished to a nunnery, and her lover, Theoctistus, had been murdered;

at the head of the conspiracy to depose Theodora and enthrone Michael had

been Michael's uncle, Bardas, a man of intelligence and ambition. Michael

was now a young, inexperienced ruler, surrounded by intriguers, murderers,

and profligates. In this time of peril he needed someone he could trust as his

councillor, and his tiioughts turned to Basilius, his best friend. Basilius had

no experience whatsoever in government and politicsin fact, he was the

head of the royal stablesbut he had proven his love and gratitude time and

again.

They had met a few years before, when Michael had been visiting the

stables just as a wild horse got loose. Basilius, a young groom from peasant

Macedonian stock, had saved Michael's life. The groom's strength and

courage had impressed Michael, who immediately raised Basilius from die

obscurity of being a horse trainer to die position of head of die stables. He

loaded his friend with gifts and favors and tiiey became inseparable.

Basilius was sent to the finest school in Byzantium, and the crude peasant

became a cultured and sophisticated courtier.

Now Michael was emperor, and in need of someone loyal. Who could

he better trust with the post of chamberlain and chief councillor than a

young man who owed him everything

Basilius could be trained for the job and Michael loved him like a

brother. Ignoring die advice of those who recommended die much more

qualified Bardas, Michael chose his friend.

Basilius learned well and was soon advising the emperor on all matters

of state. The only problem seemed to be moneyBasilius never had enough.

Exposure to the splendor of Byzantine court life made him avaricious for

the perks of power. Michael doubled, then tripled his salary, ennobled him,

and married him off to his own mistress, Eudoxia Ingerina. Keeping such a

trusted friend and adviser satisfied was worth any price. But more trouble

was to come. Bardas was now head of die army, and Basilius convinced

Michael diat die man was hopelessly ambitious. Under die illusion diat he

could control his nephew, Bardas had conspired to put him on the dirone,

and he could conspire again, diis time to get rid of Michael and assume die

crown himself. Basilius poured poison into Michael's ear until the emperor

agreed to have his uncle murdered. During a great horse race, Basilius

closed in on Bardas in the crowd and stabbed him to death. Soon after,

Basilius asked that he replace Bardas as head of the army, where he could

keep control of die realm and quell rebellion. This was granted.

Now Basilius's power and wealdi only grew, and a few years later

Michael, in financial straits from his own extravagance, asked him to pay

back some of die money he had borrowed over the years. To Michael's

shock and astonishment, Basilius refused, wiui a look of such impudence

To have a good enemy, choose a friend: He knows where to strike.

Diane de Poitiers, 1499-1566, mistress of Henri II of France

Every time I bestow a

vacant office I make a

hundred discontented

persons and one

ingrate.

Louis XIV, 1638-1715

Thus for my own part I have more than once been deceived by the

person I loved most and of whose love, above everyone else's, I have been

most confident. So that I believe that it rnay be right to love and serve one

person above all others, according to merit and worth, but never to trust so

much in this tempting trap of friendship as to have cause to repent of it later

on.

Baldassare

Castiglione,

1478-1529

I'l II',

SNAKK. TIIK I ARMKR. AM) TIIK IIKIiON A snake chased by

hunters asked a farmer to save its life. To hide it from its pursuers, the

farmer squatted and let the snake crawl into his belly. But when the danger

had passed and the farmer asked the snake to come out, the snake refused. It

was warm and safe inside. On his way home, the man saw a heron and went

up to him and whispered what had happened. The heron told him to squat

and strain to eject the snake. When the snake snuck its head out, the heron

caught it, pulled it out, and killed it. The farmer was worried that the snake's

poison might still be inside him, and the heron told him that the cure for

snake poison was to cook and eat six white fowl. “ You 're a white fo w I, ”

said the farmer. “You'll do for a start.” He grabbed the heron, put it in a bag,

and carried it home, where he hung it up while he told his wife what had

happened. “I'm surprised at you,” said the wife. “The bird does you a

kindness, rids you of the evil in your belly, saves your life in fact, yet you

catch it and talk of killing it. ” She immediately released the heron, and it

flew away. But on its way, it gouged out her eyes. Moral: When you see

water flo wing uphill, it

means that someone

that me emperor suddenly realized his predicament: The former stable

boy had more money, more allies in the army and senate, and in the end

more power than the emperor himself. A few weeks later, after a night of

heavy drinking, Michael awoke to find himself surrounded by soldiers.

Basilius watched as they stabbed the emperor to death. Then, after

proclaiming himself emperor, he rode his horse through the streets of

Byzantium, brandishing the head of his former benefactor and best friend at

die end of a long pike.

Interpretation

Michael III staked his future on the sense of gratitude he thought

Basilius must feel for him. Surely Basilius would serve him best; he owed

die emperor his wealtii, his education, and his position. Then, once Basilius

was in power, anything he needed it was best to give to him, strengdiening

the bonds between the two men. It was only on the fateful day when the

emperor saw that impudent smile on Basilius's face diat he realized his

deadly mistake.

He had created a monster. He had allowed a man to see power up closea

man who tiien wanted more, who asked for anything and got it, who felt

encumbered by the charity he had received and simply did what many

people do in such a situation: They forget the favors they have received and

imagine they have earned dieir success by their own merits.

At Michael's moment of realization, he could still have saved his own

life, but friendship and love blind every man to their interests. Nobody

believes a friend can betray. And Michael went on disbelieving until the day

his head ended up on a pike.

Lord, protect me from my friends; I can take care of my enemies.

Voltaire, 1694-1778

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

For several centuries after the fall of the Han Dynasty (a.D. 222),

Chinese history followed the same pattern of violent and bloody coups, one

after the other. Army men would plot to kill a weak emperor, dien would

replace him on the Dragon Throne with a strong general. The general would

start a new dynasty and crown himself emperor; to ensure his own survival

he would kill off his fellow generals. A few years later, however, die pattern

would resume: New generals would rise up and assassinate him or his sons

in their turn. To be emperor of China was to be alone, surrounded by a pack

of enemiesit was die least powerful, least secure position in the realm.

In A.D. 959, General Chao K'uang-yin became Emperor Sung. He knew

die odds, die probability diat witiiin a year or two he would be murdered;

how could he break the pattern Soon after becoming emperor, Sung ordered

a banquet to celebrate the new dynasty, and invited die most powerful

commanders in die army. After tiiey had drunk much wine, he

is repaying a kindness.

African folk faff

dismissed the guards and everybody else except the generals, who now

feared he would murder them in one fell swoop. Instead, he addressed

them: “The whole day is spent in fear, and I am unhappy both at the table

and in my bed. For which one of you does not dream of ascending the

throne I do not doubt your allegiance, but if by some chance your

subordinates, seeking wealth and position, were to force die emperor's

yellow robe upon you in turn, how could you refuse it” Drunk and fearing

for their lives, the generals proclaimed their innocence and their loyalty. But

Sung had other ideas: “The best way to pass one's days is in peaceful

enjoyment of riches and honor. If you are willing to give up your

commands, I am ready to provide you with fine estates and beautiful

dwellings where you may take your pleasure with singers and girls as your

companions.”

The astonished generals realized that instead of a life of anxiety and

struggle Sung was offering diem riches and security. The next day, all of me

generals tendered their resignations, and diey retired as nobles to the estates

mat Sung bestowed on them.

In one stroke, Sung turned a pack of “friendly” wolves, who would

likely have betrayed him, into a group of docile lambs, far from all power.

Over the next few years Sung continued his campaign to secure his rule.

In A.D. 971, King Liu of the Southern Han finally surrendered to him after

years of rebellion. To Liu's astonishment, Sung gave him a rank in die

imperial court and invited him to the palace to seal meir newfound

friendship widi wine. As King Liu took the glass that Sung offered him, he

hesitated, fearing it contained poison. “Your subject's crimes certainly merit

deafh,” he cried out, “but I beg Your Majesty to spare your subject's life.

Indeed I dare not drink this wine.” Emperor Sung laughed, took die glass

from Liu, and swallowed it himself. There was no poison. From men on Liu

became his most trusted and loyal friend.

At me time, China had splintered into many smaller kingdoms. When

Ch'ien Shu, the king of one of these, was defeated, Sung's ministers advised

the emperor to lock diis rebel up. They presented documents proving that he

was still conspiring to kill Sung. When Ch'ien Shu came to visit the

emperor, however, instead of locking him up, Sung honored him. He also

gave him a package, which he told the former king to open when he was

halfway home. Ch'ien Shu opened the bundle on his return journey and saw

diat it contained all the papers documenting his conspiracy. He realized mat

Sung knew of his murderous plans, yet had spared him nonetheless. This

generosity won him over, and he too became one of Sung's most loyal

vassals.

Interpretation

A Chinese proverb compares friends to die jaws and teeth of a

dangerous animal: If you are not careful, you will find diem chewing you

up. Emperor Sung knew die jaws he was passing between when he assumed

die dirone: His “friends” in die army would chew him up like meat, and if

he somehow survived, his “friends” in the government would have him for

supper.

There are many who think therefore that a wise prince ought, when he

has the chance, to foment astutely some enmity, so that by suppressing it he

will augment his greatness. Princes, and especially new ones, have found

more faith and more usefulness in those men, whom at the beginning of

their power they regarded with suspicion, than in those they at first confided

in. Pandolfo Petrucci, prince of Siena, governed his state more by those

whom he suspected than by others.

Niccolo Machiavelli, 1469-1527

A brahman, a great expert in Veda who has become a great archer as

well, offers his services to his good friend, who is now the king. The

brahman cries out when he sees the king, “Recognize me, your friend!” The

king answers him with contempt and then explains: "Yes, we were friends

before, but our friendship was based on what power we had. . . . I was

friends with you, good brahman, because it served my purpose. No pauper

is friend to the rich, no fool to the wise, no coward to the

brave. An old friend who needs him It is two men of equal wealth and

equal birth who contract friendship and marriage, not a rich man and a

pauper.... An old friendwho needs him

THE MAHABHARATA, C. THIRD CENTURY B.C.

Pick up a bee from

kindness, and learn the

limitations of kindness.

Sufi proverb

Emperor Sung would have no truck with “friends”he bribed his fellow

generals witii splendid estates and kept diem far away. This was a much

better way to emasculate them than killing them, which would only have

led other generals to seek vengeance. And Sung would have nothing to do

with “friendly” ministers. More often than not, they would end up drinking

his famous cup of poisoned wine.

Instead of relying on friends, Sung used his enemies, one after the other,

transforming them into far more reliable subjects. While a friend expects

more and more favors, and seethes with jealousy, these former enemies

expected nothing and got everything. A man suddenly spared the guillotine

is a grateful man indeed, and will go to die ends of die earth for the man

who has pardoned him. In time, these former enemies became Sung's most

trusted friends.

And Sung was finally able to break die pattern of coups, violence, and

civil warthe Sung Dynasty ruled China for more man Uiree hundred years.

In a speech Abraham Lincoln delivered at the height of the Civil War,

he referred to the Southerners as fellow human beings who were in

error. An elderly lady chastised him for not calling them irreconcilable

enemies who must be destroyed. “Why, madam,” Lincoln replied,

“do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends”

Men are more ready to repay an injury than a benefit, because gratitude

is a burden and revenge a pleasure. Tacitus, c. a.d. 55-120

KEYS TO POWER

It is natural to want to employ your friends when you find yourself in

times of need. The world is a harsh place, and your friends soften die

harshness. Besides, you know diem. Why depend on a stranger when you

have a friend at hand

The problem is that you often do not know your friends as well as you

imagine. Friends often agree on tilings in order to avoid an argument. They

cover up their unpleasant qualities so as to not offend each other. They

laugh extra hard at each odier's jokes. Since honesty rarely strengthens

friendship, you may never know how a friend truly feels. Friends will say

that they love your poetry, adore your music, envy your taste in

clothesmaybe they mean it, often they do not.

When you decide to hire a friend, you gradually discover the qualities

he or she has kept hidden. Strangely enough, it is your act of kindness tiiat

unbalances everything. People want to feel they deserve their good fortune.

The receipt of a favor can become oppressive: It means you have been

chosen because you are a friend, not necessarily because you are deserving.

There is almost a touch of condescension in die act of hiring friends tiiat

secredy afflicts diem. The injury will come out slowly: A littie more

honesty, flashes of resentment and envy here and there, and before you

know it your friendship fades. The more favors and gifts you supply to

revive the friendship, die less gratitude you receive.

Ingratitude has a long and deep history. It has demonstrated its powers

for so many centuries, that it is truly amazing that people continue to

underestimate them. Better to be wary. If you never expect gratitude from a

friend, you will be pleasantly surprised when they do prove grateful.

The problem with using or hiring friends is that it will inevitably limit

your power. The friend is rarely the one who is most able to help you; and

in the end, skill and competence are far more important than friendly

feelings. (Michael III had a man right under his nose who would have

steered him right and kept him alive: That man was Bardas.)

All working situations require a kind of distance between people. You

are trying to work, not make friends; friendliness (real or false) only

obscures that fact. The key to power, then, is the ability to judge who is best

able to further your interests in all situations. Keep friends for friendship,

but work with the skilled and competent.

Your enemies, on the other hand, are an untapped gold mine that you

must learn to exploit. When Talleyrand, Napoleon's foreign minister,

decided in 1807 that his boss was leading France to ruin, and the time had

come to turn against him, he understood the dangers of conspiring against

the emperor; he needed a partner, a confederatewhat friend could he trust in

such a project He chose Joseph Fouche, head of the secret police, his most

hated enemy, a man who had even tried to have him assassinated. He knew

that their former hatred would create an opportunity for an emotional

reconciliation. He knew that Fouche would expect nothing from him, and in

fact would work to prove that he was worthy of Talleyrand's choice; a

person who has something to prove will move mountains for you. Finally,

he knew that his relationship with Fouche would be based on mutual self-

interest, and would not be contaminated by personal feeling. The selection

proved perfect; although the conspirators did not succeed in toppling

Napoleon, the union of such powerful but unlikely partners generated much

interest in the cause; opposition to the emperor slowly began to spread. And

from then on, Talleyrand and Fouche had a fruitful working relationship.

Whenever you can, bury the hatchet with an enemy, and make a point of

putting him in your service.

As Lincoln said, you destroy an enemy when you make a friend of him.

In 1971, during the Vietnam War, Henry Kissinger was the target of an

unsuccessful kidnapping attempt, a conspiracy involving, among others, the

renowned antiwar activist priests the Berrigan brothers, four more Catholic

priests, and four nuns. In private, without informing the Secret Service or

the Justice Department, Kissinger arranged a Saturday-morning meeting

with three of the alleged kidnappers. Explaining to his guests that he would

have most American soldiers out of Vietnam by mid-1972, he completely

charmed them. They gave him some “Kidnap Kissinger” buttons and one of

them remained a friend of his for years, visiting him on several occasions.

This was not just a onetime ploy: Kissinger made a policy of working with

those who disagreed with him. Colleagues commented that he seemed to

get along better with his enemies than with his friends.

Without enemies around us, we grow lazy. An enemy at our heels

sharpens our wits, keeping us focused and alert. It is sometimes better,

PHOI-'ITI.V; B> 01 li I'AKMIKS

King Hiero chanced upon a time, speaking with one of his enemies, to

be told in a reproachful manner that he had stinking breath. Whereupon the

good king, being somewhat dismayed in himself, as soon as he returned

home chided his wife, “How does it happen that you never told me of this

problem ”The woman, being a simple, chaste, and harmless dame, said,

“Sir, I had thought all men's breath had smelled so. ” Thus it is plain that

faults that are evident to the senses, gross and corporal, or otherwise

notorious to the world, we know by our enemies sooner than by our friends

and familiars.

Plutarch, c. a.d. 46-120

then, to use enemies as enemies rather than transforming them into

friends or allies.

Mao Tse-tung saw conflict as key in his approach to power. In 1937 the

Japanese invaded China, interrupting the civil war between Mao's

Communists and their enemy, the Nationalists.

Fearing that the Japanese would wipe them out, some Communist

leaders advocated leaving the Nationalists to fight the Japanese, and using

the time to recuperate. Mao disagreed: The Japanese could not possibly

defeat and occupy a vast country like China for long. Once they left, the

Communists would have grown rusty if they had been out of combat for

several years, and would be ill prepared to reopen their struggle with the

Nationalists. To fight a formidable foe like the Japanese, in fact, would be

the perfect training for the Communists' ragtag army. Mao's plan was

adopted, and it worked: By the time the Japanese finally retreated, the

Communists had gained the fighting experience that helped them defeat the

Nationalists.

Years later, a Japanese visitor tried to apologize to Mao for his country's

invasion of China. Mao interrupted, “Should I not thank you instead”

Widiout a worthy opponent, he explained, a man or group cannot grow

stronger.

Mao's strategy of constant conflict has several key components. First, be

certain that in the long run you will emerge victorious. Never pick a fight

with someone you are not sure you can defeat, as Mao knew the Japanese

would be defeated in time. Second, if you have no apparent enemies, you

must sometimes set up a convenient target, even turning a friend into an

enemy. Mao used this tactic time and again in politics. Third, use such

enemies to define your cause more clearly to the public, even framing it as a

struggle of good against evil. Mao actually encouraged China's

disagreements with the Soviet Union and the United States; without clear-

cut enemies, he believed, his people would lose any sense of what Chinese

Communism meant. A sharply defined enemy is a far stronger argument for

your side than all the words you could possibly put together.

Never let the presence of enemies upset or distress youyou are far better

off with a declared opponent or two than not knowing where your real

enemies lie. The man of power welcomes conflict, using enemies to

enhance his reputation as a surefooted fighter who can be relied upon in

times of uncertainty.

Image: The Jaws of Ingratitude. Authority:

Knowing what would happen Know how to use

if you put a finger in enemies for your own

the mouth of a lion, profit. You must learn to grab a

you would stay sword not by its blade, which would

clear of it. cut you, but by the handle, which allows

With friends you to defend yourself. The wise man

you will have profits more from his enemies,

no such caution, and than a fool from his friends.

if you hire them, they will (Baltasar Gracian,

eat you alive with ingratitude. 1601-16 5 8)

REVERSAL

Although it is generally best not to mix work with friendship, there are

times when a friend can be used to greater effect than an enemy. A man of

power, for example, often has dirty work that has to be done, but for the

sake of appearances it is generally preferable to have other people do it for

him; friends often do this the best, since their affection for him makes them

willing to take chances. Also, if your plans go awry for some reason, you

can use a friend as a convenient scapegoat. This “fall of the favorite” was a

trick often used by kings and sovereigns: They would let their closest friend

at court take the fall for a mistake, since the public would not believe that

they would deliberately sacrifice a friend for such a purpose. Of course,

after you play that card, you have lost your friend forever. It is best, then, to

reserve the scapegoat role for someone who is close to you but not too

close.

Finally, the problem about working with friends is that it confuses the

boundaries and distances that working requires. But if both partners in the

arrangement understand the dangers involved, a friend often can be

employed to great effect. You must never let your guard down in such a

venture, however; always be on the lookout for any signs of emotional

disturbance such as envy and ingratitude. Nothing is stable in the realm of

power, and even the closest of friends can be transformed into the worst of

enemies.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 3

CONCEAL YOUR INTENTIONS

JUDGMENT

Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose

behind your actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot

prepare a defense. Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelop

them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will

be too late.

PART I: USE DECOYED OBJECTS OF DESIRE AND RED

HERRINGS TO THROW PEOPLE OFF THE SCENT

If at any point in the deception you practice people have the slightest

suspicion as to your intentions, all is lost. Do not give them the chance to

sense what you are up to: Throw them off the scent by dragging red

herrings across the path. Use false sincerity, send ambiguous signals, set up

misleading objects of desire. Unable to distinguish the genuine from the

false, they cannot pick out your real goal.

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

Over several weeks, Ninon de Lenclos, the most infamous courtesan of

seventeendi-century France, listened patiently as the Marquis de Sevigne

explained his struggles in pursuing a beautiful but difficult young countess.

Ninon was sixty-two at me time, and more than experienced in matters of

love; the marquis was a lad of twenty-two, handsome, dashing, but

hopelessly inexperienced in romance. At first Ninon was amused to hear the

marquis talk about his mistakes, but finally she had had enough. Unable to

bear ineptitude in any realm, least of all in seducing a woman, she decided

to take the young man under her wing. First, hi had to understand mat mis

was war, and that the beautiful countess was a Citadel to which he had to

lay siege as carefully as any general. Every step had to be planned and

executed with die utmost attention to detail and nuance.

Instructing die marquis to start over, Ninon told him to approach the

countess with a bit of distance, an air of nonchalance. The next time die two

were alone togemer, she said, he would confide in the countess as would a

friend but not a potential lover. This was to mrow her off the scent. The

countess was no longer to take his interest in her for grantedperhaps he was

only interested in friendship.

Ninon planned ahead. Once the countess was confused, it would be time

to make her jealous. At the next encounter, at a major fete in Paris, die

marquis would show up wim a beautiful young woman at his side. This

beautiful young woman had equally beautiful friends, so tiiat wherever die

countess would now see die marquis, he would be surrounded by the most

stunning young women in Paris. Not only would die countess be seething

widi jealousy, she would come to see die marquis as someone who was

desired by otiiers. It was hard for Ninon to make the marquis understand,

but she patiendy explained that a woman who is interested in a man wants

to see mat omer women are interested in him, too. Not only does tiiat give

him instant value, it makes it all the more satisfying to snatch him from

their clutches.

Once the countess was jealous but intrigued, it would be time to beguile

her. On Ninon's instructions, the marquis would fail to show up at affairs

where die countess expected to see him. Then, suddenly, he would appear at

salons he had never frequented before, but tiiat die countess at-

tended often. She would be unable to predict his moves. All of this

would push her into the state of emotional confusion that is a prerequisite

for successful seduction.

These moves were executed, and took several weeks. Ninon monitored

the marquis's progress: Through her network of spies, she heard how the

countess would laugh a little harder at his witticisms, listen more closely to

his stories. She heard that the countess was suddenly asking questions about

him. Her friends told her that at social affairs the countess would often look

up at the marquis, following his steps. Ninon felt certain that the young

woman was falling under his spell. It was a matter of weeks now, maybe a

month or two, but if all went smoothly, the citadel would fall.

A few days later the marquis was at the countess's home. They were

alone. Suddenly he was a different man: This time acting on his own

impulse, rather than following Ninon's instructions, he took the countess's

hands and told her he was in love with her. The young woman seemed

confused, a reaction he did not expect. She became polite, then excused

herself. For the rest of the evening she avoided his eyes, was not there to

say good-night to him. The next few times he visited he was told she was

not at home. When she finally admitted him again, the two felt awkward

and uncomfortable with each other. The spell was broken.

Interpretation

Ninon de Lenclos knew everything about the art of love. The greatest

writers, thinkers, and politicians of the time had been her loversmen like La

Rochefoucauld, Moliere, and Richelieu. Seduction was a game to her, to be

practiced with skill. As she got older, and her reputation grew, the most

important families in France would send their sons to her to be instructed in

matters of love.

Ninon knew that men and women are very different, but when it comes

to seduction they feel the same: Deep down inside, they often sense when

they are being seduced, but they give in because they enjoy the feeling of

being led along. It is a pleasure to let go, and to allow the other person to

detour you into a strange country. Everything in seduction, however,

depends on suggestion. You cannot announce your intentions or reveal them

direcdy in words. Instead you must throw your targets off the scent. To

surrender to your guidance they must be appropriately confused. You have

to scramble your signalsappear interested in another man or woman (the

decoy), then hint at being interested in the target, then feign indifference, on

and on. Such patterns not only confuse, they excite.

Imagine this story from the countess's perspective: After a few of the

marquis's moves, she sensed the marquis was playing some sort of game,

but die game delighted her. She did not know where he was leading her, but

so much the better. His moves intrigued her, each of them keeping her

waiting for the next oneshe even enjoyed her jealousy and confusion, for

sometimes any emotion is better than the boredom of security. Perhaps the

marquis had ulterior motives; most men do. But she was willing to wait and

see, and probably if she had been made to wait long enough, what he

was up to would not have mattered.

The moment the marquis uttered that fatal word “love,” however, all

was changed. This was no longer a game widi moves, it was an artless show

of passion. His intention was revealed: He was seducing her. This put

everything he had done in a new light. All that before had been charming

now seemed ugly and conniving; the countess felt embarrassed and used. A

door closed that would never open again.

Do not be held a cheat, even though it is impossible to live today

without being one. Let your greatest cunning lie in covering up what looks

like cunning,

Baltasar (Wacidn, 1601-1658

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

In 1850 the young Otto von Bismarck, then a thirty-five-year-old deputy

in the Prussian parliament, was at a turning point in his career. The issues of

the day were the unification of the many states (including Prussia) into

which Germany was then divided, and a war against Austria, the powerful

neighbor to the south diat hoped to keep die Germans weak and at odds,

even threatening to intervene if tiiey tried to unite. Prince William, next in

line to be Prussia's king, was in favor of going to war, and die parliament

rallied to the cause, prepared to back any mobilization of troops. The only

ones to oppose war were the present king, Frederick William IV, and his

ministers, who preferred to appease the powerful Austrians.

Throughout his career, Bismarck had been a loyal, even passionate

supporter of Prussian might and power. He dreamed of German unification,

of going to war against Austria and humiliating the country that for so long

had kept Germany divided. A former soldier, he saw warfare as a glorious

business.

This, after all, was the man who years later would say, “The great

questions of the time will be decided, not by speeches and resolutions, but

by iron and blood.”

Passionate patriot and lover of military glory, Bismarck nevertheless

gave a speech in parliament at the height of the war fever mat astonished all

who heard it. “Woe unto the statesman,” he said, “who makes war without a

reason mat will still be valid when the war is over! After the war, you will

all look differendy at these questions. Will you men have the courage to

turn to the peasant contemplating the ashes of his farm, to the man who has

been crippled, to the father who has lost his children” Not only did

Bismarck go on to talk of the madness of this war, but, strangest of all, he

praised Austria and defended her actions. This went against everything he

had stood for. The consequences were immediate. Bismarck was against the

warwhat could diis possibly mean Otiier deputies were confused, and

several of them changed their votes. Eventually die king and his ministers

won out, and war was averted.

A few weeks after Bismarck's infamous speech, the king, grateful that

he had spoken for peace, made him a cabinet minister. A few years later

he became the Prussian premier. In this role he eventually led his country

and a peace-loving king into a war against Austria, crushing the former

empire and establishing a mighty German state, with Prussia at its head.

Interpretation

At me time of his speech in 1850, Bismarck made several calculations.

First, he sensed that the Prussian military, which had not kept pace with

other European armies, was unready for warthat Austria, in fact, might very

well win, a disastrous result for the future. Second, if the war were lost and

Bismarck had supported it, his career would be gravely jeopardized. The

king and his conservative ministers wanted peace; Bismarck wanted power.

The answer was to throw people off the scent by supporting a cause he

detested, saying things he would laugh at if said by anomer. A whole

country was fooled. It was because of Bismarck's speech that the king made

him a minister, a position from which he quickly rose to be prime minister,

attaining the power to strengthen die Prussian military and accomplish what

he had wanted all along: the humiliation of Austria and the unification of

Germany under Prussia's leadership.

Bismarck was certainly one of die cleverest statesman who ever lived, a

master of strategy and deception. No one suspected what he was up to in

mis case. Had he announced his real intentions, arguing that it was better to

wait now and fight later, he would not have won the argument, since most

Prussians wanted war at that moment and mistakenly believed diat their

army was superior to the Austrians. Had he played up to die king, asking to

be made a minister in exchange for supporting peace, he would not have

succeeded either: The king would have distrusted his ambition and doubted

his sincerity.

By being completely insincere and sending misleading signals,

however, he deceived everyone, concealed his purpose, and attained every-

diing he wanted. Such is the power of hiding your intentions.

KEYS TO POWER

Most people are open books. They say what they feel, blurt out their

opinions at every opportunity, and constandy reveal their plans and

intentions. They do tiiis for several reasons. First, it is easy and natural to

always want to talk about one's feelings and plans for the future. It takes

effort to control your tongue and monitor what you reveal. Second, many

believe mat by being honest and open they are winning people's hearts and

showing their good nature.They are greatly deluded. Honesty is actually a

blunt instrument, which bloodies more than it cuts. Your honesty is likely to

offend people; it is much more prudent to tailor your words, telling people

what they want to hear rather than the coarse and ugly trum of what you

feel or diink. More important, by being unabashedly open you make

yourself so predictable and familiar diat it is almost impossible to respect or

fear you, and power will not accrue to a person who cannot inspire such

emotions.

If you yearn for power, quickly lay honesty aside, and train yourself in

the art of concealing your intentions. Master the art and you will always

have the upper hand. Basic to an ability to conceal one's intentions is a

simple truth about human nature: Our first instinct is to always trust

appearances. We cannot go around doubting the reality of what we see and

hearconstantly imagining that appearances concealed sometiiing else would

exhaust and terrify us. This fact makes it relatively easy to conceal one's

intentions. Simply dangle an object you seem to desire, a goal you seem to

aim for, in front of people's eyes and they will take the appearance for

reality. Once their eyes focus on the decoy, they will fail to notice what you

are really up to. In seduction, set up conflicting^ signals, such as desire and

indifference, and you not only throw them off the scent, you inflame meir

desire to possess you.

A tactic that is often effective in setting up a red herring is to appear to

support an idea or cause that is actually contrary to your own sentiments.

(Bismarck used this to great effect in his speech in 1850.) Most people will

believe you have experienced a change of heart, since it is so unusual to

play so lightly with something as emotional as one's opinions and values.

The same applies for any decoyed object of desire: Seem to want something

in which you are actually not at all interested and your enemies will be

thrown off the scent, making all kinds of errors in their calculations.

During the War of the Spanish Succession in 1711, the Duke of

Marlborough, head of the English army, wanted to destroy a key French

fort, because it protected a vital thoroughfare into France. Yet he knew that

if he destroyed it, the French would realize what he wantedto advance down

that road. Instead, then, he merely captured the fort, and garrisoned it with

some of his troops, making it appear as if he wanted it for some purpose of

his own. The French attacked the fort and the duke let them recapture it.

Once they had it back, though, they destroyed it, figuring that the duke had

wanted it for some important reason. Now that the fort was gone, the road

was unprotected, and Marlborough could easily march into France.

Use this tactic in the following manner: Hide your intentions not by

closing up (with the risk of appearing secretive, and making people

suspicious) but by talking endlessly about your desires and goals!just not

your real ones. You will kill three birds with one stone: You appear friendly,

open, and trusting; you conceal your intentions; and you send your rivals on

time-consuming wild-goose chases.

Another powerful tool in throwing people off the scent is false sincerity.

People easily mistake sincerity for honesty. Remembertheir first instinct is

to trust appearances, and since they value honesty and want to believe in the

honesty of those around tiiem, they will rarely doubt you or see through

your act. Seeming to believe what you say gives your words great weight.

This is how Iago deceived and destroyed Othello: Given the depth of his

emotions, the apparent sincerity of his concerns about Desde-mona's

supposed infidelity, how could Othello distrust him This is also how the

great con artist Yellow Kid Weil pulled the wool over suckers' eyes:

Seeming to believe so deeply in the decoyed object he was dangling

in front of them (a phony stock, a touted racehorse), he made its reality

hard to doubt. It is important, of course, not to go too far in this area.

Sincerity is a tricky tool: Appear overpassionate and you raise suspicions.

Be measured and believable or your ruse will seem the put-on mat it is.

To make your false sincerity an effective weapon in concealing your

intentions, espouse a belief in honesty and forthrightness as important social

values. Do tiiis as publicly as possible. Emphasize your position on tiiis

subject by occasionally divulging some heartfelt thoughtthough only one

that is actually meaningless or irrelevant, of course. Napoleon's minister

Talleyrand was a master at taking people into his confidence by revealing

some apparent secret. This feigned confidencea decoywould then elicit a

real confidence on die other person's part.

Remember: The best deceivers do everything they can to cloak their

roguish qualities. They cultivate an air of honesty in one area to disguise

their dishonesty in omers. Honesty is merely another decoy in their arsenal

of weapons.

PART II: USE SMOKE SCREENS TO DISGUISE YOUR ACTIONS

Deception is always the best strategy, but the best deceptions require a

screen

of smoke to distract people's attention from your real purpose. The

bland

exteriorlike the unreadable poker faceis often the perfect smoke screen,

hiding your intentions behind the comfortable and familiar. If you lead

the

sucker down a familiar path, he won't catch on when you lead him into a

trap.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW I

In 1910, a Mr. Sam Geezil of Chicago sold his warehouse business for

close to $ 1 million. He settled down to semiretirement and the managing of

his many properties, but deep inside he itched for the old days of deal-

making. One day a young man named Joseph Weil visited his office,

wanting to buy an apartment he had up for sale. Geezil explained the terms:

The price was $8,000, but he only required a down payment of $2,000. Weil

said he would sleep on it, but he came back the following day and offered to

pay the full $8,000 in cash, if Geezil could wait a couple of days, until a

deal Weil was working on came through. Even in semiretirement, a clever

businessman like Geezil was curious as to how Weil would be able to come

up wim so much cash (roughly $150,000 today) so quickly. Weil seemed

reluctant to say, and quickly changed the subject, but Geezil was persistent.

Finally, after assurances of confidentiality, Weil told Geezil the following

story.

Weil's uncle was the secretary to a coterie of multimillionaire financiers.

These wealthy gentlemen had purchased a hunting lodge in Michigan ten

years ago, at a cheap price. They had not used die lodge for a few years, so

they had decided to sell it and had asked Weil's uncle to get whatever he

could for it. For reasonsgood reasonsof his own, the uncle had been nursing

a grudge against the millionaires for years; this was his chance to get back

at them. He would sell die property for $35,000 to a setup man (whom it

was Weil's job to find). The financiers were too wealdiy to worry about this

low price. The set-up man would men turn around and sell the property

again for its real price, around $155,000. The uncle, Weil, and die tiiird man

would split the profits from this second sale. It was all legal and for a good

causethe uncle's just retribution.

Geezil had heard enough: He wanted to be the set-up buyer. Weil was

reluctant to involve him, but Geezil would not back down: The idea of a

large profit, plus a little adventure, had him champing at the bit. Weil

explained mat Geezil would have to put up the $35,000 in cash to bring die

deal off. Geezil, a millionaire, said he could get die money with a snap of

his fingers. Weil finally relented and agreed to arrange a meeting between

the uncle, Geezil, and die financiers, in the town of Galesburg, Illinois.

On die train ride to Galesburg, Geezil met the unclean impressive

JKIIl'. KINC OF ISUAFI.. I-'KICNS WORSHIP Oh Till'. 1DOI. BAAL

Then Jehu assembled all the people, and said to them, “Ahab served Ba

'al a little; but Jehu will serve him much more. Now therefore call to me all

the prophets of Ba'al, all his worshippers and all his priests; let none be

missing, for I have a great sacrifice to offer to Ba 'al; whoever is missing

shall not live.” But Jehu did it with cunning in order to destroy the

worshippers of Ba 'al. And Jehu ordered, “Sanctify a solemn assembly for

Ba 'al. ” So they proclaimed it. And Jehu sent throughout all Israel; and all

the worshippers of Ba'al came, so that there was not a man left who did not

come. And they entered the house of Ba'al, and the house of Ba'al was filled

from one end to the other. . . . Then Jehu went into the house of Ba'al... and

he said to the worshippers of Ba'al, "Search, and see that there is no servant

of the LORD here

among you, but only

the worshippers of

Ba'al." Then he went in

to offer sacrifices and

burnt offerings.

Now Jehu had

stationed eighty men

outside, and said, "The

man who allows any of

those whom I give into

your hands to escape

shall forfeit his life." So

as soon as he had made

an end of offering the

burnt offering, Jehu

said to the guard and to

the officers, "Go in and

slay them; let not a man

escape."

So when they put them

to the sword, the guard

and the officers cast

them out and went into

the inner room of the

house of Ba'al and they

brought out the pillar

that was in the house of

Ba'al and burned it.

And they demolished

the pillar of Ba 'al and

demolished the house

of Ba'al, and made it a

latrine to this day.

Thus Jehu wiped out

Ba'al from Israel.

old testament, 2 kings 10:18-28

man, with whom he avidly discussed business. Weil also brought along

a companion, a somewhat paunchy man named George Gross. Weil

explained to Geezil that he himself was a boxing trainer, that Gross was one

of the promising prizefighters he trained, and that he had asked Gross to

come along to make sure the fighter stayed in shape. For a promising

fighter, Gross was unimpressive lookinghe had gray hair and a beer bellybut

Geezil was so excited about the deal that he didn't really think about the

man's flabby appearance.

Once in Galesburg, Weil and his uncle went to fetch the financiers while

Geezil waited in a hotel room with Gross, who promptly put on his boxing

trunks. As Geezil half watched, Gross began to shadowbox. Distracted as

he was, Geezil ignored how badly die boxer wheezed after a few minutes of

exercise, although his style seemed real enough. An hour later, Weil and his

uncle reappeared with the financiers, an impressive, intimidating group of

men, all wearing fancy suits. The meeting went well and the financiers

agreed to sell the lodge to Geezil, who had already had the $35,000 wired to

a local bank.

This minor business now setded, the financiers sat back in their chairs

and began to banter about high finance, throwing out the name 'J. P.

Morgan" as if they knew the man. Finally one of them noticed die boxer in

the corner of the room. Weil explained what he was doing diere. The

financier countered that he too had a boxer in his entourage, whom he

named. Weil laughed brazenly and exclaimed that his man could easily

knock out their man. Conversation escalated into argument. In the heat of

passion, Weil challenged the men to a bet. The financiers eagerly agreed

and left to get their man ready for a fight the next day.

As soon as Uiey had left, the uncle yelled at Weil, right in front of

Geezil: They did not have enough money to bet with, and once the

financiers discovered this, the uncle would be fired. Weil apologized for

getting him in this mess, but he had a plan: He knew the odier boxer well,

and with a littie bribe, they could fix the fight. But where would the money

come from for the bet the uncle replied. Without it they were as good as

dead. Finally Geezil had heard enough. Unwilling to jeopardize his deal

with any ill will, he offered his own $35,000 cash for part of the bet. Even if

he lost that, he would wire for more money and still make a profit on the

sale of the lodge. The uncle and nephew thanked him. With their own

$15,000 and Geezil's $35,000 they would manage to have enough for the

bet. That evening, as Geezil watched the two boxers rehearse die fix in the

hotel room, his mind reeled at the killing he was going to make from both

the boxing match and the sale of the lodge.

The fight took place in a gym the next day. Weil handled the cash,

which was placed for security in a locked box. Everything was proceeding

as planned in the hotel room. The financiers were looking glum at how

badly their fighter was doing, and Geezil was dreaming about the easy

money he was about to make. Then, suddenly, a wild swing by the

financier's fighter hit Gross hard in the face, knocking him down. When he

hit the canvas, blood spurted from his mouth. He coughed, then lay still.

One of die financiers, a former doctor, checked his pulse; he was dead.

The millionaires panicked: Everyone had to get out before the police

arrived they could all be charged with murder.

Terrified, Geezil hightailed it out of the gym and back to Chicago,

leaving behind his $35,000 which he was only too glad to forget, for it

seemed a small price to pay to avoid being implicated in a crime. He never

wanted to see Weil or any of the others again.

After Geezil scurried out, Gross stood up, under his own steam. The

blood that had spurted from his mouth came from a ball filled with chicken

blood and hot water diat he had hidden in his cheek. The whole affair had

been masterminded by Weil, better known as “the Yellow Kid,” one of die

most creative con artists in history. Weil split the $35,000 with the

financiers and the boxers (all fellow con artists)a nice little profit for a few

days' work.

Interpretation

The Yellow Kid had staked out Geezil as the perfect sucker long before

he set up the con. He knew the boxing-match scam would be the perfect

ruse to separate Geezil from his money quickly and definitively. But he also

knew diat if he had begun by trying to interest Geezil in the boxing match,

he would have failed miserably. He had to conceal his intentions and switch

attention, create a smoke screenin this case die sale of the lodge.

On die train ride and in the hotel room Geezil's mind had been

completely occupied with the pending deal, the easy money, the chance to

hobnob with wealthy men. He had failed to notice that Gross was out of

shape and middle-aged at best. Such is die distracting power of a smoke

screen. Engrossed in the business deal, Geezil's attention was easily

diverted to the boxing match, but only at a point when it was already too

late for him to notice the details that would have given Gross away. The

match, after all, now depended on a bribe radier than on die boxer's physical

condition. And Geezil was so distracted at die end by die illusion of me

boxer's death mat he completely forgot about his money.

Learn from the Yellow Kid: The familiar, inconspicuous front is the

perfect smoke screen. Approach your mark with an idea diat seems ordinary

enougha business deal, financial intrigue. The sucker's mind is distracted,

his suspicions allayed. That is when you gentiy guide him onto the second

path, die slippery slope down which he slides helplessly into your trap.

SNEAK ACROSS THE OCEAN IN HROAD DAYEICHT

This means to create a front that eventually becomes imbued with an

atmosphere or impression of familiarity, within which the strategist may

maneuver unseen while all eyes are trained to see obvious familiarities.

“THE THIRTY-SIX STRATEGIES,” QUOTED IN THE IAPANESE

ART OF WAR,

Thomas Cleary, 1991

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW II

In the mid- 1920s, the powerful warlords of Etiiiopia were coming to

the realization diat a young man of die nobility named Haile Selassie, also

known as Ras Tafari, was outcompeting them all and nearing the point

where he could proclaim himself their leader, unifying the country for the

first time in decades. Most of his rivals could not understand how tiiis

wispy, quiet, mild-mannered man had been able to take control. Yet in

1927, Selassie was able to summon the warlords, one at a time, to come

to Addis Ababa to declare their loyalty and recognize him as leader.

Some hurried, some hesitated, but only one, Dejazmach Balcha of

Sidamo, dared defy Selassie totally. A blustery man, Balcha was a great

warrior, and he considered the new leader weak and unworthy. He pointedly

stayed away from die capital. Finally Selassie, in his gende but stern way,

commanded Balcha to come. The warlord decided to obey, but in doing so

he would turn the tables on diis pretender to die Ediiopian dirone: He would

come to Addis Ababa at his own speed, and widi an army of 10,000 men, a

force large enough to defend himself, perhaps even start a civil war.

Stationing tiiis formidable force in a valley three miles from the capital, he

waited, as a king would. Selassie would have to come to him.

Selassie did indeed send emissaries, asking Balcha to attend an

afternoon banquet in his honor. But Balcha, no fool, knew historyhe knew

that previous kings and lords of Ethiopia had used banquets as a trap. Once

he was there and full of drink, Selassie would have him arrested or

murdered. To signal his understanding of die situation, he agreed to come to

the banquet, but only if he could bring his personal bodyguard600 of his

best soldiers, all armed and ready to defend him and diemselves. To

Balcha's surprise, Selassie answered with the utmost politeness diat he

would be honored to play host to such warriors.

On the way to the banquet, Balcha warned his soldiers not to get drunk

and to be on their guard. When they arrived at the palace, Selassie was his

charming best. He deferred to Balcha, treated him as if he desperately

needed his approval and cooperation. But Balcha refused to be charmed,

and he warned Selassie that if he did not return to his camp by nightfall, his

army had orders to attack die capital. Selassie reacted as if hurt by his

mistrust. Over the meal, when it came time for the traditional singing of

songs in honor of Ethiopia's leaders, he made a point of allowing only songs

honoring the warlord of Sidamo. It seemed to Balcha that Selassie was

scared, intimidated by this great warrior who could not be outwitted.

Sensing the change, Balcha believed that he would be the one to call die

shots in the days to come.

At the end of the afternoon, Balcha and his soldiers began their march

back to camp amidst cheers and gun salutes. Looking back to the capital

over his shoulder, he planned his strategyhow his own soldiers would march

through the capital in triumph widiin weeks, and Selassie would be put in

his place, his place being either prison or death. When Balcha came in sight

of his camp, however, he saw that something was terribly wrong. Where

before there had been colorful tents stretching as far as die eye could see,

now there was nodiing, only smoke from doused fires. What devil's magic

was this

A witness told Balcha what had happened. During the banquet, a large

army, commanded by an ally of Selassie's, had stolen up on Balcha's

encampment by a side route he had not seen. This army had not come to

fight, however: Knowing that Balcha would have heard a noisy batde and

hurried back with his 600-man bodyguard, Selassie had,armed his own

troops with baskets of gold and cash. They had surrounded Balcha's army

and proceeded to purchase every last one of their weapons. Those who

refused were easily intimidated. Within a few hours, Balcha's entire force

had been disarmed and scattered in all directions.

Realizing his danger, Balcha decided to march south with his 600

soldiers to regroup, but the same army that had disarmed his soldiers

blocked his way. The other way out was to march on the capital, but

Selassie had set a large army to defend it. Like a chess player, he had

predicted Balcha's moves, and had checkmated him. For the first time in his

life, Balcha surrendered. To repent his sins of pride and ambition, he agreed

to enter a monastery.

Interpretation

Throughout Selassie's long reign, no one could quite figure him out.

Ethiopians like their leaders fierce, but Selassie, who wore the front of a

gende, peace-loving man, lasted longer than any of them. Never angry or

impatient, he lured his victims with sweet smiles, lulling them with charm

and obsequiousness before he attacked. In the case of Balcha, Selassie

played on the man's wariness, his suspicion that the banquet was a trap

which in fact it was, but not the one he expected. Selassie's way of allaying

Balcha's fearsletting him bring his bodyguard to the banquet, giving him top

billing there, making him feel in controlcreated a thick smoke screen,

concealing the real action three miles away.

Remember: The paranoid and wary are often the easiest to deceive. Win

their trust in one area and you have a smoke screen that blinds their view in

anodier, letting you creep up and level them with a devastating blow. A

helpful or apparently honest gesture, or one that implies the other person's

superioritythese are perfect diversionary devices.

Properly set up, the smoke screen is a weapon of great power. It enabled

the gentle Selassie to totally destroy his enemy, without firing a single

bullet.

Do not underestimate the power of Tafari. He creeps like a mouse but he

has jaws like a lion.

Balclia of Sidamo's last words before entering the monastery

KEYS TO POWER

If you believe that deceivers are colorful folk who mislead with

elaborate lies and tall tales, you are greatly mistaken. The best deceivers

utilize a bland and inconspicuous front that calls no attention to themselves.

They know that extravagant words and gestures immediately raise

suspicion. Instead, they envelop their mark in the familiar, the banal, the

harmless. In Yellow Kid Weil's dealings with Sam Geezil, the familiar was

a business deal. In the Ethiopian case, it was Selassie's misleading

obsequiousness exacdy what Balcha would have expected from a weaker

warlord.

Once you have lulled your suckers' attention with the familiar, they will

not notice the deception being perpetrated behind their backs. This derives

from a simple truth: people can only focus on one thing at a time. It is really

too difficult for them to imagine that the bland and harmless person they are

dealing with is simultaneously setting up something else. The grayer and

more uniform the smoke in your smoke screen, the better it conceals your

intentions. In the decoy and red herring devices discussed in Part I, you

actively distract people; in the smoke screen, you lull your victims, drawing

them into your web. Because it is so hypnotic, this is often the best way of

concealing your intentions.

The simplest form of smoke screen is facial expression. Behind a bland,

unreadable exterior, all sorts of mayhem can be planned, without detection.

This is a weapon that the most powerful men in history have learned to

perfect. It was said that no one could read Franklin D. Roosevelt's face.

Baron James Rothschild made a lifelong practice of disguising his real

thoughts behind bland smiles and nondescript looks. Stendhal wrote of

Talleyrand, “Never was a face less of a barometer.” Henry Kissinger would

bore his opponents around the negotiating table to tears with his

monotonous voice, his blank look, his endless recitations of details; then, as

their eyes glazed over, he would suddenly hit them with a list of bold terms.

Caught off-guard, they would be easily intimidated. As one poker manual

explains it, “While playing his hand, the good player is seldom an actor.

Instead he practices a bland behavior that minimizes readable patterns,

frustrates and confuses opponents, permits greater concentration.”

An adaptable concept, the smoke screen can be practiced on a number

of levels, all playing on the psychological principles of distraction and

misdirection. One of the most effective smoke screens is the noble gesture.

People want to believe apparently noble gestures are genuine, for the belief

is pleasant. They rarely notice how deceptive these gestures can be.

The art dealer Joseph Duveen was once confronted with a terrible

problem. The millionaires who had paid so dearly for Duveen's paintings

were running out of wall space, and with inheritance taxes getting ever

higher, it seemed unlikely that they would keep buying. The solution was

the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., which Duveen helped

create in 1937 by getting Andrew Mellon to donate his collection to it. The

National Gallery was the perfect front for Duveen. In one gesture, his

clients avoided taxes, cleared wall space for new purchases, and reduced the

number of paintings on the market, maintaining the upward pressure on

their prices. All this while the donors created the appearance of being public

benefactors.

Another effective smoke screen is the pattern, the establishment of a

series of actions that seduce die victim into believing you will continue in

die same way. The pattern plays on the psychology of anticipation: Our

behavior conforms to patterns, or so we like to think.

In 1878 the American robber baron Jay Gould created a company diat

began to threaten die monopoly of die telegraph company Western Union.

The directors of Western Union decided to buy Gould's company up

they had to spend a hefty sum, but they figured they had managed to rid

themselves of an irritating competitor. A few months later, though, Gould

was it at again, complaining he had been treated unfairly. He started up a

second company to compete with Western Union and its new acquisition.

The same thing happened again: Western Union bought him out to shut him

up. Soon the pattern began for the third time, but now Gould went for uie

jugular: He suddenly staged a bloody takeover struggle and managed to

gain complete control of Western Union. He had established a pattern that

had tricked the company's directors into thinking his goal was to be bought

out at a handsome rate. Once they paid him off, they relaxed and failed to

notice that he was actually playing for higher stakes. The pattern is

powerful in that it deceives the other person into expecting the opposite of

what you are really doing.

Another psychological weakness on which to construct a smoke screen

is the tendency to mistake appearances for realitythe feeling that if someone

seems to belong to your group, their belonging must be real. This habit

makes the seamless blend a very effective front. The trick is simple: You

simply blend in with those around you. The better you blend, the less

suspicious you become. During the Cold War of the 1950s and '60s, as is

now notorious, a slew of British civil servants passed secrets to the Soviets.

They went undetected for years because they were apparently decent chaps,

had gone to all the right schools, and fit the old-boy network perfectly.

Blending in is the perfect smoke screen for spying. The better you do it, the

better you can conceal your intentions.

Remember: It takes patience and humility to dull your brilliant colors,

to put on the mask of the inconspicuous. Do not despair at having to wear

such a bland maskit is often your unreadability that draws people to you and

makes you appear a person of power.

Image: A Sheep's Skin. A sheep never marauds, a sheep never deceives,

a sheep is magnificently dumb and docile. With a sheepskin on his back, a

fox can pass right into the chicken coop.

Authority: Have you ever heard of a skillful general, who intends to

surprise a citadel, announcing his plan to his enemy Conceal your purpose

and hide your progress; do not disclose the extent of your designs until they

cannot be opposed, until the combat is over. Win the victory before you

declare the war. In a word, imitate those warlike people whose designs are

not known except by the ravaged country through which they have passed.

(Ninon de Lenclos, 1623-1706)

REVERSAL

No smoke screen, red herring, false sincerity, or any other diversionary

device will succeed in concealing your intentions if you already have an

established reputation for deception. And as you get older and achieve

success, it often becomes increasingly difficult to disguise your cunning.

Everyone knows you practice deception; persist in playing naive and you

run the risk of seeming die rankest hypocrite, which will severely limit your

room to maneuver. In such cases it is better to own up, to appear the honest

rogue, or, better, the repentant rogue. Not only will you be admired for your

frankness, but, most wonderful and strange of all, you will be able to

continue your stratagems.

As P. T. Barnum, the nineteentii-century king of humbuggery, grew

older, he learned to embrace his reputation as a grand deceiver. At one point

he organized a buffalo hunt in New Jersey, complete witii Indians and a few

imported buffalo. He publicized die hunt as genuine, but it came off as so

completely fake that die crowd, instead of getting angry and asking for their

money back, was gready amused. They knew Barnum pulled tricks all the

time; diat was the secret of his success, and they loved him for it. Learning

a lesson from this affair, Barnum stopped concealing all of his devices, even

revealing his deceptions in a tell-all autobiography. As Kierkegaard wrote,

“The world wants to be deceived.”

Finally, although it is wiser to divert attention from your purposes by

presenting a bland, familiar exterior, diere are times when die colorful,

conspicuous gesture is die right diversionary tactic. The great charlatan

mountebanks of seventeendi- and eighteenth-century Europe used humor

and entertainment to deceive their audiences. Dazzled by a great show, the

public would not notice the charlatans' real intentions. Thus the star

charlatan himself would appear in town in a night-black coach drawn by

black horses. Clowns, tightrope walkers, and star entertainers would

accompany him, pulling people in to his demonstrations of elixirs and

quack potions. The charlatan made entertainment seem like die business of

die day; the business of die day was actually die sale of the elixirs and

quack potions.

Spectacle and entertainment, clearly, are excellent devices to conceal

your intentions, but diey cannot be used indefinitely. The public grows tired

and suspicious, and eventually catches on to die trick. And indeed die

charlatans had to move quickly from town to town, before word spread tiiat

die potions were useless and die entertainment a trick. Powerful people with

bland exteriors, on the odier handdie Talleyrands, die Rotii-schilds, die

Selassiescan practice tiieir deceptions in die same place tiiroughout their

lifetimes. Their act never wears thin, and rarely causes suspicion. The

colorful smoke screen should be used cautiously, then, and only when die

occasion is right.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 4

ALWAYS SAY LESS THAN NECESSARY

JUDGMENT

When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say,

the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are

saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-

ended, and sphinxlike. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying

less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.

Down on his luck, [the screenwriter] Michael Arlen went to New York

in 1944. To drown his sorrows he paid a visit to the famous restaurant “21.”

In the lobby, he ran into Sam Goldwyn, who offered the somewhat

impractical advice that he should buy racehorses. At the bar Arlen met

Louis B. Mayer, an old acquaintance, who asked him what were his plans

for the future. “1 was just talking to Sam Goldwyn ...” began Arlen. “How

much did he offer you ” interrupted Mayer. “Not enough,” he replied

evasively. “Would you take fifteen thousand for thirty weeks” asked Mayer.

No hesitation this time. “Yes,” said Arlen.

the little, brown

book of anecdotes,

Clifton Fadiman,

f.d., 1985

One oft-told tale about

Kissinger...

involved a report that

Winston Lord had

worked on for days.

After giving it to

Kissinger, he got it

back with the notation,

"Is this the best you

can do" Lord rewrote

and polished and

finally resubmitted it;

back it came with the

same curt question.

After redrafting it one

more timeand once

again getting the same

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

Gnaeus Marcius, also known as Coriolanus, was a great military hero of

ancient Rome. In die first half of the fifth century B.C. he won many

important battles, saving the city from calamity time and time again.

Because he spent most of his time on the batdefield, few Romans knew him

personally, making him something of a legendary figure.

In 454 B.C., Coriolanus decided it was time to exploit his reputation and

enter politics. He stood for election to the high rank of consul. Candidates

for this position traditionally made a public address early in the race, and

when Coriolanus came before the people, he began by displaying the

dozens of scars he had accumulated over seventeen years of fighting for

Rome. Few in the crowd really heard the lengthy speech diat followed;

those scars, proof of his valor and patriotism, moved the people to tears.

Coriolanus's election seemed certain.

When die polling day arrived, however, Coriolanus made an entry into

the forum escorted by the entire senate and by the city's patricians, the

aristocracy. The common people who saw this were disturbed by such a

blustering show of confidence on election day.

And then Coriolanus spoke again, mostly addressing the wealthy

citizens who had accompanied him. His words were arrogant and insolent.

Claiming certain victory in die vote, he boasted of his battlefield exploits,

made sour jokes that appealed only to die patricians, voiced angry

accusations against his opponents, and speculated on the riches he would

bring to Rome. This time the people listened: They had not realized diat tins

legendary soldier was also a common braggart.

News of Coriolanus's second speech spread quickly dirough Rome, and

the people turned out in great numbers to make sure he was not elected.

Defeated, Coriolanus returned to the battlefield, bitter and vowing revenge

on the common folk who had voted against him. Some weeks later a large

shipment of grain arrived in Rome. The senate was ready to distribute this

food to die people, for free, but just as they were preparing to vote on die

question Coriolanus appeared on the scene and took the senate floor. The

distribution, he argued, would have a harmful effect on the city as a whole.

Several senators appeared won over, and the vote on the distribution fell

into doubt. Coriolanus did not stop diere: He went on to condemn die

concept of democracy itself. He advocated getting rid of the people's

representativesdie tribunesand turning over the governing of the city to the

patricians.

When word of Coriolanus's latest speech reached the people, their anger

knew no bounds. The tribunes were sent to the senate to demand diat

Coriolanus appear before them. He refused. Riots broke out all over the

city. The senate, fearing die people's wrath, finally voted in favor of the

grain distribution. The tribunes were appeased, but the people still

demanded that Coriolanus speak to them and apologize. If he repented, and

agreed to keep his opinions to himself, he would be allowed to return to the

batdefield.

Coriolanus did appear one last time before the people, who listened to

him in rapt silence. He started slowly and softly, but as the speech went

on, he became more and more blunt. Yet again he hurled insults! His tone

was arrogant, his expression disdainful. The more he spoke, the angrier the

people became. Finally they shouted him down and silenced him.

The tribunes conferred, condemned Coriolanus to death, and ordered the

magistrates to take him at once to the top of the Tarpeian rock and throw

him over. The delighted crowd seconded the decision. The patricians,

however, managed to intervene, and the sentence was commuted to a

lifelong banishment. When the people found out that Rome's great military

hero would never return to the city, they celebrated in the streets. In fact no

one had ever seen such a celebration, not even after the defeat of a foreign

enemy.

question from KissingerLord snapped, “Damn it, yes, it's the best I can

do.” To which Kissinger replied: “Fine, then I guess I'll read it this time.”

kissinger, Walter Isaacson, 1992

Interpretation

Before his entrance into politics, the name of Coriolanus evoked awe.

His battlefield accomplishments showed him as a man of great bravery.

Since the citizens knew little about him, all kinds of legends became

attached to his name. The moment he appeared before the Roman citizens,

however, and spoke his mind, all that grandeur and mystery vanished. He

bragged and blustered like a common soldier. He insulted and slandered

people, as if he felt threatened and insecure. Suddenly he was not at all

what the people had imagined. The discrepancy between the legend and the

reality proved immensely disappointing to those who wanted to believe in

their hero. The more Coriolanus said, the less powerful he appeareda person

who cannot control his words shows that he cannot control himself, and is

unworthy of respect.

Had Coriolanus said less, the people would never have had cause to be

offended by him, would never have known his true feelings. He would have

maintained his powerful aura, would certainly have been elected consul,

and would have been able to accomplish his antidemocratic goals. But the

human tongue is a beast that few can master. It strains constantly to break

out of its cage, and if it is not tamed, it will run wild and cause you grief.

Power cannot accrue to those who squander their treasure of words.

Oysters open completely when the moon is full; and when the crab sees

one

it throws a piece of stone or seaweed into it and the oyster cannot close

again so that it serves the crab for meat. Such is the fate of him who

opens

his mouth too much and thereby puts himself at the mercy of the

listener.

Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519

The King [Louis XIV] maintains the most impenetrable secrecy about

affairs of Slate. The ministers attend council meetings, but he confides his

plans to them only when he has reflected at length upon them and has come

to a definite decision. 1 wish you might see the King. His expression is

inscrutable; his eyes like those of a fox. He never discusses State affairs

except with his ministers in Council. When he speaks to courtiers he refers

only to their respective prerogatives or duties. Even the most frivolous of

his utterances has the air of being the pronouncement of an oracle.

Primi Visconti, quoted in louis xiv, Louis Bertrand, 1928

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

In the court of Louis XIV, nobles and ministers would spend days and

nights debating issues of state. They would confer, argue, make and break

alliances, and argue again, until finally the critical moment arrived: Two of

them would be chosen to represent the different sides to Louis himself, who

would decide what should be done. After these persons were chosen,

Undutiful words of a

subject do often take

deeper root than the

memory of ill deeds....

The late Earl of Essex

told Queen Elizabeth

that her conditions

were as crooked as her

carcass; but it cost him

his head, which his

insurrection had not

cost him but for that

speech.

Sir Walter Ralhioh,

1554-1618

everyone would argue some more: How should the issues be phrased

What would appeal to Louis, what would annoy him At what time of day

should the representatives approach him, and in what part of the Versailles

palace What expression should they have on their faces

Finally, after all this was settled, the fateful moment would finally

arrive. The two men would approach Louisalways a delicate matterand

when they finally had his ear, they would talk about the issue at hand,

spelling out the options in detail.

Louis would listen in silence, a most enigmatic look on his face. Finally,

when each had finished his presentation and had asked for the king's

opinion, he would look at them botii and say, “I shall see.” Then he would

walk away.

The ministers and courtiers would never hear another word on this

subject from the kingthey would simply see the result, weeks later, when he

would come to a decision and act. He would never bother to consult them

on the matter again.

Interpretation

Louis XIV was a man of very few words. His most famous remark is

“L'etat, c'est moi”ll am the state“); nothing could be more pithy yet more

eloquent. His infamous ”I shall see" was one of several extremely short

phrases that he would apply to all manner of requests.

Louis was not always this way; as a young man he was known for

talking at length, delighting in his own eloquence. His later taciturnity was

self-imposed, an act, a mask he used to keep everybody below him off-

balance. No one knew exactly where he stood, or could predict his

reactions. No one could try to deceive him by saying what they thought he

wanted to hear, because no one knew what he wanted to hear. As they

talked on and on to the silent Louis, they revealed more and more about

themselves, information he would later use against them to great effect.

In the end, Louis's silence kept those around him terrified and under his

thumb. It was one of the foundations of his power. As Saint-Simon wrote,

“No one knew as well as he how to sell his words, his smile, even his

glances. Everything in him was valuable because he created differences,

and his majesty was enhanced by the sparseness of his words.”

It is even more damaging for a minister to say foolish things than to do

them.

Cardinal de Retz, 1613-1679

KEYS TO POWER

Power is in many ways a game of appearances, and when you say less

than necessary, you inevitably appear greater and more powerful than you

are. Your silence will make other people uncomfortable. Humans are

machines of interpretation and explanation; they have to know what you are

thinking. When you carefully control what you reveal, they cannot pierce

your intentions or your meaning.

Your short answers and silences will put them on the defensive, and

they will jump in, nervously filling the silence with all kinds of comments

that will reveal valuable information about them and their weaknesses.

They will leave a meeting with you feeling as if they had been robbed, and

they will go home and ponder your every word. This extra attention to your

brief comments will only add to your power.

Saying less than necessary is not for kings and statesmen only. In most

areas of life, the less you say, the more profound and mysterious you

appear. As a young man, the artist Andy Warhol had the revelation that it

was generally impossible to get people to do what you wanted them to do

by talking to them. They would turn against you, subvert your wishes,

disobey you out of sheer perversity. He once told a friend, “I learned that

you actually have more power when you shut up.”

In his later life Warhol employed this strategy with great success. His

interviews were exercises in oracular speech: He would say something

vague and ambiguous, and the interviewer would twist in circles trying to

figure it out, imagining there was something profound behind his often

meaningless phrases. Warhol rarely talked about his work; he let others do

the interpreting. He claimed to have learned this technique from that master

of enigma Marcel Duchamp, anotiier twentieth-century artist who realized

early on that the less he said about his work, the more people talked about

it. And the more they talked, the more valuable his work became.

By saying less than necessary you create the appearance of meaning and

power. Also, the less you say, the less risk you run of saying something

foolish, even dangerous. In 1825 a new czar, Nicholas I, ascended the

throne of Russia. A rebellion immediately broke out, led by liberals

demanding that the country modernizethat its industries and civil structures

catch up with the rest of Europe. Brutally crushing this rebellion (the

Decembrist Uprising), Nicholas I sentenced one of its leaders, Kondraty

Ryleyev, to death. On the day of the execution Ryleyev stood on the

gallows, the noose around his neck. The trapdoor openedbut as Ryleyev

dangled, the rope broke, dashing him to the ground. At the time, events like

this were considered signs of providence or heavenly will, and a man saved

from execution this way was usually pardoned. As Ryleyev got to his feet,

bruised and dirtied but believing his neck had been saved, he called out to

the crowd, “You see, in Russia they don't know how to do anything

properly, not even how to make rope!”

A messenger immediately went to the Winter Palace with news of the

failed hanging. Vexed by this disappointing turnabout, Nicholas I

nevertheless began to sign the pardon. But then: “Did Ryleyev say anything

after this miracle” the czar asked the messenger. “Sire,” the messenger

replied, “he said that in Russia they don't even know how to make rope.”

“In that case,” said the Czar, “let us prove the contrary,” and he tore up

the pardon. The next day Ryleyev was hanged again. This time the rope did

not break.

Learn the lesson: Once the words are out, you cannot take them back.

Keep them under control. Be particularly careful with sarcasm: The mo-

mentary satisfaction you gain with your biting words will be

outweighed by the price you pay.

Image :

The Oracle at Delphi.

When visitors consulted the

Oracle, the priestess would utter

a few enigmatic words that seemed

full of meaning and import. No one

disobeyed the words of the Oracle

they held power over life and death.

Authority: Never start moving your own lips and teeth before the

subordinates do. The longer I keep quiet, the sooner others move their lips

and teeth. As they move their lips and teeth, I can thereby understand tiieir

real intentions.... If the sovereign is not mysterious, the ministers will find

opportunity to take and take. (Han-fei-tzu, Chinese philosopher, third

century B.C.)

REVERSAL

There are times when it is unwise to be silent. Silence can arouse

suspicion and even insecurity, especially in your superiors; a vague or

ambiguous comment can open you up to interpretations you had not

bargained for. Silence and saying less than necessary must be practiced with

caution, then, and in the right situations. It is occasionally wiser to imitate

the court jester, who plays the fool but knows he is smarter than the king.

He talks and talks and entertains, and no one suspects that he is more than

just a fool.

Also, words can sometimes act as a kind of smoke screen for any

deception you might practice. By bending your listener's ear with talk, you

can distract and mesmerize them; the more you talk, in fact, the less

suspicious of you they become. The verbose are not perceived as sly and

manipulative but as helpless and unsophisticated. This is the reverse of the

silent policy employed by the powerful: By talking more, and making

yourself appear weaker and less intelligent than your mark, you can practice

deception with greater ease.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 5

SO MUCH DEPENDS ON

REPUTATIONGUARD IT

WITH YOUR LIFE

JUDGMENT

Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you

can intimidate and win; once it slips, however, you are vulnerable, and will

be attacked on all sides. Make your reputation unassailable. Always be alert

to potential attacks and thwart them before they happen. Meanwhile, learn

to destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputations. Then

stand aside and let public opinion hang them.

A frightful epidemic sent To earth by Heaven intent to vent Its fury on a

sinful world, to call It by its rightful name, the pestilence, That Acheron-

filling vial of virulence Had fallen on every animal. Not all were dead, but

all lay near to dying, And none was any longer trying To find new fuel to

feed life's flickering fires. No foods excited their desires; No more did

wolves and foxes rove In search of harmless, helpless prey; And dove

would not consort with dove, For love and joy had flown away. The Lion

assumed the chair to say: "Dear friends, I doubt not it's for heaven's high

ends That on us sinners woe must fall. Let him of us who's sinned the most

Fall victim to the avenging heavenly host, And may he win salvation for us

all; For history teaches us that in these crises We must make sacrifices.

Undeceived and stern-eyed, let's inspect Our conscience. As I recollect, To

put my greedy appetite to sleep, I've banqueted on

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW I

During China's War of the Three Kingdoms (a.D. 207-265), the great

general Chuko Liang, leading the forces of the Shu Kingdom, dispatched

his vast army to a distant camp while he rested in a small town with a

handful of soldiers. Suddenly sentinels hurried in with the alarming news

that an enemy force of over 150,000 troops under Sima Yi was

approaching. With only a hundred men to defend him, Chuko Liang's

situation was hopeless. The enemy would finally capture this renowned

leader.

Without lamenting his fate, or wasting time trying to figure out how he

had been caught, Liang ordered his troops to take down their flags, throw

open the city gates, and hide. He himself men took a seat on the most

visible part of the city's wall, wearing a Taoist robe. He lit some incense,

strummed his lute, and began to chant. Minutes later he could see the vast

enemy army approaching, an endless phalanx of soldiers. Pretending not to

notice them, he continued to sing and play the lute.

Soon the army stood at the town gates. At its head was Sima Yi, who

instantly recognized the man on the wall.

Even so, as his soldiers itched to enter the unguarded town through its

open gates, Sima Yi hesitated, held them back, and studied Liang on the

wall. Then, he ordered an immediate and speedy retreat.

Interpretation

Chuko Liang was commonly known as the “Sleeping Dragon.” His

exploits in the War of the Three Kingdoms were legendary. Once a man

claiming to be a disaffected enemy lieutenant came to his camp, offering

help and information. Liang instantly recognized the situation as a setup;

this man was a false deserter, and should be beheaded. At the last minute,

though, as the ax was about to fall, Liang stopped the execution and offered

to spare the man's life if he agreed to become a double agent. Grateful and

terrified, the man agreed, and began supplying false information to the

enemy. Liang won battle after battle.

On another occasion Liang stole a military seal and created false

documents dispatching his enemy's troops to distant locations. Once the

troops had dispersed, he was able to capture three cities, so that he

controlled an entire corridor of the enemy's kingdom. He also once tricked

the enemy into believing one of its best generals was a traitor, forcing the

man to escape and join forces with Liang. The Sleeping Dragon carefully

cultivated his reputation of being the cleverest man in China, one who

always had a trick up his sleeve. As powerful as any weapon, this reputation

struck fear into his enemy.

Sima Yi had fought against Chuko Liang dozens of times and knew him

well. When he came on the empty city, with Liang praying on the wall, he

was stunned. The Taoist robes, the chanting, the incensethis had to be a

game of intimidation. The man was obviously taunting him, daring him to

walk into a trap. The game was so obvious that for one moment it crossed

Yi's mind that Liang actually was alone, and desperate. But so great was his

fear of Liang that he dared not risk finding out. Such is the

power of reputation. It can put a vast army on the defensive, even force

them into retreat, without a single arrow being fired.

For, as Cicero says, even those who argue against fame still want the

books they

write against it to bear their name in the title and hope to become

famous for

despising it. Everything else is subject to barter: we will let our friends

have

our goods and our lives if need be; but a case of sharing our fame and

making someone else the gift of our reputation is hardly to be found.

Montaigne, 1533-1592

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW II

In 1841 the young P. T. Barnum, trying to establish his reputation as

America's premier showman, decided to purchase the American Museum in

Manhattan and turn it into a collection of curiosities that would secure his

fame. The problem was that he had no money. The museum's asking price

was $15,000, but Barnum was able to put together a proposal that appealed

to the institution's owners even though it replaced cash up front with dozens

of guarantees and references. The owners came to a verbal agreement with

Barnum, but at the last minute, the principal partner changed his mind, and

the museum and its collection were sold to the directors of Peale's Museum.

Barnum was infuriated, but the partner explained that business was

businessthe museum had been sold to Peale's because Peale's had a

reputation and Barnum had none.

Barnum immediately decided that if he had no reputation to bank on, his

only recourse was to ruin die reputation of Peale's. Accordingly he launched

a letter-writing campaign in the newspapers, calling the owners a bunch of

“broken-down bank directors” who had no idea how to run a museum or

entertain people. He warned the public against buying Peale's stock, since

the business's purchase of another museum would invariably spread its

resources thin. The campaign was effective, die stock plummeted, and widi

no more confidence in Peale's track record and reputation, the owners of die

American Museum reneged on their deal and sold the whole thing to

Barnum.

It took years for Peale's to recover, and they never forgot what Barnum

had done. Mr. Peale himself decided to attack Barnum by building a

reputation for “high-brow entertainment,” promoting his museum's

programs as more scientific than those of his vulgar competitor. Mesmerism

(hypnotism) was one of Peale's “scientific” attractions, and for a while it

drew big crowds and was quite successful. To fight back, Barnum decided

to attack Peale's reputation yet again.

Barnum organized a rival mesmeric performance in which he himself

apparently put a little girl into a trance. Once she seemed to have fallen

deeply under, he tried to hypnotize members of the audiencebut no matter

how hard he tried, none of the spectators fell under his spell, and many of

them began to laugh. A frustrated Barnum finally announced that to prove

the little girl's trance was real, he would cut off one of her fingers

many a sheep Who'd injured me in no respect, And even in my time

been known to try Shepherd pie. If need be, then, I'll die. Yet I suspect That

others also ought to own their sins. It's only fair that all should do their best

To single out the guiltiest."

“Sire, you're too good a king,” the Fox begins; "Such scruples are too

delicate. My word, To eat sheep, that profane and vulgar herd,

That's sin Nay, Sire, enough for such a crew To be devoured by such as

you; While of the shepherds we may say That they deserved the worst they

got, Theirs being the lot that over us beasts plot A flimsy dream-begotten

sway." Thus spake the Fox, and toady cheers rose high,

While none dared cast too cold an eye On Tiger's, Bear's, and other em

in en ces' Most unpardonable offences.

Each, of never mind what currish breed, Was really a saint, they all

agreed.

Then came the Ass, to say: “I do recall How once 1 crossed an abbey-

mead Where hunger, grass in plenty, and withal, I have no doubt, some imp

of greed, Assailed me, and I shaved a tongue's-breadth wide Where frankly

I'd no right to any grass. ”

All forthwith fell full cry upon the Ass: A Wolf of some book-learning

testified That that curst beast must suffer their despite, That gallskinned

author of their piteous plight. They judged him fit for nought but gallows-

bait: How vile, another's grass to sequestrate! His death alone could expiate

A crime so heinous, as full well he learns. The court, as you're of great or

poor estate, Will paint you either white or black by turns.

the best fables

of la fontaine,

Jean de La Fontaine,

1621-1695

witiiout her noticing. But as he sharpened die knife, die litde girl's eyes

popped open and she ran away, to die audience's delight. He repeated diis

and otiier parodies for several weeks. Soon no one could take Peale's show

seriously, and attendance went way down. Within a few weeks, the show

closed. Over the next few years Barnum established a reputation for

audacity and consummate showmanship that lasted his whole life. Peale's

reputation, on the otiier hand, never recovered.

Interpretation

Barnum used two different tactics to ruin Peale's reputation. The first

was simple: He sowed doubts about die museum's stability and solvency.

Doubt is a powerful weapon: Once you let it out of die bag with insidious

rumors, your opponents are in a horrible dilemma. On the one hand they

can deny the rumors, even prove diat you have slandered diem. But a layer

of suspicion will remain: Why are they defending themselves so desperately

Maybe die rumor has some trudi to it If, on die otiier hand, tiiey take the

high road and ignore you, die doubts, unrefuted, will be even stronger. If

done correctiy, the sowing of rumors can so infuriate and unsettle your

rivals that in defending tiiemselves they will make numerous mistakes. This

is die perfect weapon for those who have no reputation of their own to work

from.

Once Barnum did have a reputation of his own, he used die second,

gender tactic, the fake hypnotism demonstration: He ridiculed his rivals'

reputation. This too was extremely successful. Once you have a solid base

of respect, ridiculing your opponent botii puts him on die defensive and

draws more attention to you, enhancing your own reputation. Outright

slander and insult are too strong at diis point; tiiey are ugly, and may hurt

you more tiian help you. But gentie barbs and mockery suggest that you

have a strong enough sense of your own worth to enjoy a good laugh at

your rival's expense. A humorous front can make you out as a harmless

entertainer while poking holes in die reputation of your rival.

It is easier to cope with a bad conscience than with a bad reputation.

Friedrich Nietzsche, 1844-1900

KEYS TO POWER

The people around us, even our closest friends, will always to some

extent remain mysterious and unfathomable. Their characters have secret

recesses that they never reveal. The unknowableness of other people could

prove disturbing if we thought about it long enough, since it would make it

impossible for us really to judge otiier people. So we prefer to ignore this

fact, and to judge people on their appearances, on what is most visible to

our eyesclotiies, gestures, words, actions. In the social realm, appearances

are die barometer of almost all of our judgments, and you must never be

misled into believing otiierwise. One false slip, one awkward or sudden

change in your appearance, can prove disastrous.

This is the reason for the supreme importance of making and

maintaining a reputation that is of your own creation.

That reputation will protect you in the dangerous game of appearances,

distracting the probing eyes of others from knowing what you are really

like, and giving you a degree of control over how the world judges youa

powerful position to be in. Reputation has a power like magic: Widi one

stroke of its wand, it can double your strengtfi. It can also send people

scurrying away from you. Whether the exact same deeds appear brilliant or

dreadful can depend entirely on the reputation of the doer.

In the ancient Chinese court of the Wei kingdom there was a man

named Mi Tzu-hsia who had a reputation for supreme civility and gracious-

ness. He became the ruler's favorite. It was a law in Wei that “whoever rides

secretly in the ruler's coach shall have his feet cut off,” but when Mi Tzu-

hsia's mother fell ill, he used the royal coach to visit her, pretending that the

ruler had given him permission. When the ruler found out, he said, “How

dutiful is Mi Tzu-hsia! For his mother's sake he even forgot that he was

committing a crime making him liable to lose his feet!”

Another time the two of them took a stroll in an orchard. Mi Tzu-hsia

began eating a peach that he could not finish, and he gave the ruler die other

half to eat. The ruler remarked, “You love me so much mat you would even

forget your own saliva taste and let me eat the rest of the peach!”

Later, however, envious fellow courtiers, spreading word that Mi Tzu-

hsia was actually devious and arrogant, succeeded in damaging his

reputation; the ruler came to see his actions in a new light. “This fellow

once rode in my coach under pretense of my order,” he told the courtiers

angrily, “and another time he gave me a half-eaten peach.” For the same

actions that had charmed the ruler when he was the favorite, Mi Tzu-hsia

now had to suffer the penalties. The fate of his feet depended solely on the

strength of his reputation.

In the beginning, you must work to establish a reputation for one

outstanding quality, whether generosity or honesty or cunning. This quality

sets you apart and gets other people to talk about you. You then make your

reputation known to as many people as possible (subtly, though; take care to

build slowly, and widi a firm foundation), and watch as it spreads like

wildfire.

A solid reputation increases your presence and exaggerates your

strengths without your having to spend much energy. It can also create an

aura around you that will instill respect, even fear. In the fighting in the

North African desert during World War II, the German general Erwin

Rommel had a reputation for cunning and for deceptive maneuvering that

struck terror into everyone who faced him. Even when his forces were

depleted, and when British tanks outnumbered his by five to one, entire

cities would be evacuated at the news of his approach.

As they say, your reputation inevitably precedes you, and if it inspires

respect, a lot of your work is done for you before you arrive on the scene, or

utter a single word.

Your success seems destined by your past triumphs. Much of the sue-

cess of Henry Kissinger's shuttle diplomacy rested on his reputation for

ironing out differences; no one wanted to be seen as so unreasonable that

Kissinger could not sway him. A peace treaty seemed a fait accompli as

soon as Kissinger's name became involved in the negotiations.

Make your reputation simple and base it on one sterling quality. This

single qualityefficiency, say, or seductivenessbecomes a kind of calling card

that announces your presence and places others under a spell. A reputation

for honesty will allow you to practice all manner of deception. Casanova

used his reputation as a great seducer to pave die way for his future

conquests; women who had heard of his powers became immensely

curious, and wanted to discover for memselves what had made him so

romantically successful.

Perhaps you have already stained your reputation, so that you are

prevented from establishing a new one. In such cases it is wise to associate

with someone whose image counteracts your own, using dieir good name to

whitewash and elevate yours. It is hard, for example, to erase a reputation

for dishonesty by yourself; but a paragon of honesty can help. When P. T.

Barnum wanted to clean up a reputation for promoting vulgar

entertainment, he brought the singer Jenny Lind over from Europe. She had

a stellar, high-class reputation, and die American tour Barnum sponsored

for her gready enhanced his own image. Similarly the great robber barons

of nineteendi-century America were long unable to rid diemselves of a

reputation for cruelty and mean-spiritedness. Only when tiiey began

collecting art, so that the names of Morgan and Frick became permanendy

associated with tiiose of da Vinci and Rembrandt, were they able to soften

dieir unpleasant image.

Reputation is a treasure to be carefully collected and hoarded.

Especially when you are first establishing it, you must protect it strictiy,

anticipating all attacks on it. Once it is solid, do not let yourself get angry or

defensive at the slanderous comments of your enemiestiiat reveals

insecurity, not confidence in your reputation. Take die high road instead,

and never appear desperate in your self-defense. On die other hand, an

attack on another man's reputation is a potent weapon, particularly when

you have less power than he does. He has much more to lose in such a

battie, and your own thus-far-small reputation gives him a small target

when he tries to return your fire. Barnum used such campaigns to great

effect in his early career. But this tactic must be practiced with skill; you

must not seem to engage in petty vengeance. If you do not break your

enemy's reputation cleverly, you will inadvertentiy ruin your own.

Thomas Edison, considered the inventor who harnessed electricity,

believed that a workable system would have to be based on direct current

(DC). When the Serbian scientist Nikola Tesla appeared to have succeeded

in creating a system based on alternating current (AC), Edison was furious.

He determined to ruin Tesla's reputation, by making the public believe tiiat

die AC system was inherendy unsafe, and Tesla irresponsible in promoting

it.

To this end he captured all kinds of household pets and electrocuted

them to death with an AC current. When this wasn't enough, in 1890 he

got New York State prison authorities to organize die world's first execution

by electrocution, using an AC current. But Edison's electrocution

experiments had all been widi small creatures; the charge was too weak,

and the man was only half killed. In perhaps die country's crudest state-

authorized execution, the procedure had to be repeated. It was an awful

spectacle.

Although, in the long run, it is Edison's name that has survived, at die

time his campaign damaged his own reputation more than Tesla's. He

backed off. The lesson is simplenever go too far in attacks like these, for

that will draw more attention to your own vengefulness than to the person

you are slandering. When your own reputation is solid, use subtler tactics,

such as satire and ridicule, to weaken your opponent while making you out

as a charming rogue. The mighty lion toys widi die mouse that crosses his

pathany otiier reaction would mar his fearsome reputation.

Image".

A Mine Full of

Diamonds and Rubies.

You dug for it, you found it,

and your wealth is now assured.

Guard it with your life. Robbers and thieves

will appear from all sides. Never take your wealth

for granted, and constantly renew ittime

will diminish the jewels' luster,

and bury them from sight.

Authority: Therefore I should wish our courtier to bolster up his

inherent worth with skill and cunning, and ensure that whenever he has to

go where he is a stranger, he is preceded by a good reputation. . . . For the

fame which appears to rest on the opinions of many fosters a certain

unshakable belief in a man's worth which is then easily strengthened in

minds already thus disposed and prepared. (Baldassare Castiglione, 1478-

1529)

REVERSAL

There is no possible Reversal. Reputation is critical; there are no

exceptions to this law. Perhaps, not caring what others think of you, you

gain a reputation for insolence and arrogance, but that can be a valuable

image in itselfOscar Wilde used it to great advantage. Since we must live in

society and must depend on the opinions of others, there is nothing to be

gained by neglecting your reputation. By not caring how you are perceived,

you let others decide this for you. Be the master of your fate, and also of

your reputation.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 6

COURT ATTENTION AT ALL COST

JUDGMENT

Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for

nothing. Never let yourself get lost in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion.

Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all cost. Make yourself a magnet of attention

by appearing larger, more colorful, more mysterious than the bland and

timid masses.

PART I: SURROUND YOUR NAME WITH THE SENSATIONAL

AND SCANDALOUS

Draw attention to yourself by creating an unforgettable, even

controversial image. Court scandal. Do anything to make yourself seem

larger than life and shine more brightly than those around you. Make no

distinction between kinds of attentionnotoriety of any sort will bring you

power. Better to be slandered and attacked than ignored.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

P. T. Barnum, America's premier nineteenth-century showman, started

his career as an assistant to the owner of a circus, Aaron Turner. In 1836 die

circus stopped in Annapolis, Maryland, for a series of performances. On the

morning of opening day, Barnum took a stroll through town, wearing a new

black suit. People started to follow him. Someone in the gathering crowd

shouted out that he was the Reverend Ephraim K. Avery, infamous as a man

acquitted of the charge of murder but still believed guilty by most

Americans. The angry mob tore off Barnum's suit and was ready to lynch

him. After desperate appeals, Barnum finally convinced them to follow him

to the circus, where he could verify his identity.

Once there, old Turner confirmed that this was all a practical jokehe

himself had spread the rumor that Barnum was Avery. The crowd dispersed,

but Barnum, who had nearly been killed, was not amused. He wanted to

know what could have induced his boss to play such a trick. “My dear Mr.

Barnum,” Turner replied, “it was all for our good. Remember, all we need

to ensure success is notoriety.” And indeed everyone in town was talking

about the joke, and the circus was packed that night and every night it

stayed in Annapolis. Barnum had learned a lesson he would never forget.

Barnum's first big venture of his own was the American Museuma

collection of curiosities, located in New York. One day a beggar approached

Barnum in die street. Instead of giving him money, Barnum decided to

employ him. Taking him back to the museum, he gave die man five bricks

and told him to make a slow circuit of several blocks. At certain points he

was to lay down a brick on the sidewalk, always keeping one brick in hand.

On the return journey he was to replace each brick on the street with the one

he held. Meanwhile he was to remain serious of countenance and to answer

no questions. Once back at the museum, he was to enter, walk around

inside, then leave dirough the back door and make the same bricklaying

circuit again.

On the man's first walk through the streets, several hundred people

watched his mysterious movements. By his fourth circuit, onlookers

swarmed around him, debating what he was doing. Every time he entered

the museum he was followed by people who bought tickets to keep

watching him. Many of diem were distracted by the museum's collections,

and stayed inside. By the end of the first day, the brick man had drawn over

T1IK WASP AND 11 IK PKINCE

A wasp named Pin Tail was long in quest of some deed that would make

him forever famous. So one day he entered the king's palace and stung the

little prince, who was in bed. The prince awoke with loud cries. The king

and his courtiers rushed in to see what had happened. The prince was

yelling as the wasp stung him again and again. The courtiers tried to catch

the wasp, and each in turn was stung. The whole royal household rushed in,

the news soon spread, and people flocked to the palace. The city was in an

uproar, all business suspended. Said the wasp to itself, before it expired

from its efforts, “A name without fame is like fire without flame. There is

nothing like attracting notice at any cost.” Indian fable

Even when I'm railed

at, I get my quota of

renown.

Pihtro Arhiino. 1492-1556

A work that was voluntarily presented to a prince was bound to seem in

some way special. The artist himself might also try to attract the attention of

the court through his behaviour. In Vasari's judgment Sodoma was “well

known both for his personal eccentricities and for his reputation as a good

painter.” Because Pope Leo X “found pleasure in such strange, harebrained

individuals,” he made Sodoma a knight, causing the artist to go completely

out of his mind. Van Mander found it odd that the products of Cornells

Ketel 's experiments in mouth and foot painting were bought by notable

persons “because of their oddity,” yet Ketel was only adding a variation to

similar experiments by Titian, Ugo da Carpi and Talma Giovane, who,

according to Boschini painted with their fingers “because they wished to

imitate the method used by the Supreme Creator.” Van Mander

thousand people into the museum. A few days later die police ordered

him to cease and desist from his walksthe crowds were blocking traffic. The

bricklaying stopped but thousands of New Yorkers had entered the museum,

and many of those had become P. T. Barnum converts.

Barnum would put a band of musicians on a balcony overlooking the

street, beneath a huge banner proclaiming FREE music for the millions.

What generosity, New Yorkers thought, and they flocked to hear the free

concerts. But Barnum took pains to hire the worst musicians he could find,

and soon after the band struck up, people would hurry to buy tickets to the

museum, where they would be out of earshot of the band's noise, and of the

booing of the crowd.

One of the first oddities Bamum toured around the country was Joice

Heth, a woman he claimed was 161 years old, and whom he advertised as a

slave who had once been George Washington's nurse. After several months

the crowds began to dwindle, so Barnum sent an anonymous letter to the

papers, claiming that Heth was a clever fraud. ^Joice Heth,“ he wrote, ”is

not a human being but an automaton, made up of whalebone, india-rubber,

and numberless springs." Those who had not bothered to see her before

were immediately curious, and those who had already seen her paid to see

her again, to find out whether the rumor that she was a robot was true.

In 1842, Barnum purchased the carcass of what was purported to be a

mermaid. This creature resembled a monkey with the body of a fish, but the

head and body were perfecdy joinedit was truly a wonder. After some

research Barnum discovered that die creature had been experdy put together

in Japan, where the hoax had caused quite a stir.

He nevertheless planted articles in newspapers around the country

claiming the capture of a mermaid in the Fiji Islands. He also sent the

papers woodcut prints of paintings showing mermaids. By the time he

showed the specimen in his museum, a national debate had been sparked

over the existence of these mythical creatures. A few months before

Barnum's campaign, no one had cared or even known about mermaids; now

everyone was talking about them as if they were real. Crowds flocked in

record numbers to see the Fiji Mermaid, and to hear debates on the subject.

A few years later, Barnum toured Europe with General Tom Thumb, a

five-year-old dwarf from Connecticut whom Barnum claimed was an

eleven-year-old English boy, and whom he had trained to do many

remarkable acts. During this tour Barnum's name attracted such attention

that Queen Victoria, that paragon of sobriety, requested a private audience

with him and his talented dwarf at Buckingham Palace. The English press

may have ridiculed Barnum, but Victoria was royally entertained by him,

and respected him ever after.

Interpretation

Barnum understood the fundamental truth about attracting attention:

Once people's eyes are on you, you have a special legitimacy. For

Barnum,

creating interest meant creating a crowd; as he later wrote, “Every

crowd has a silver lining.” And crowds tend to act in conjunction. If one

person stops to see your beggarman laying bricks in the street, more will do

the same. They will gather like dust bunnies. Then, given a gentle push,

they will enter your museum or watch your show. To create a crowd you

have to do sometiiing different and odd. Any kind of curiosity will serve the

purpose, for crowds are magnetically attracted by the unusual and

inexplicable. And once you have their attention, never let it go. If it veers

toward other people, it does so at your expense. Barnum would ruthlessly

suck attention from his competitors, knowing what a valuable commodity it

is.

At the beginning of your rise to the top, then, spend all your energy on

attracting attention. Most important: The quality of the attention is

irrelevant. No matter how badly his shows were reviewed, or how

slanderously personal were the attacks on his hoaxes, Barnum would never

complain. If a newspaper critic reviled him particularly badly, in fact, he

made sure to invite the man to an opening and to give him the best seat in

the house. He would even write anonymous attacks on his own work, just to

keep his name in the papers. From Barnum's vantage, attentionwhether

negative or positivewas the main ingredient of his success. The worst fate in

the world for a man who yearns fame, glory, and, of course, power is to be

ignored.

reports that Gossaert attracted the attention of Emperor Charles V by

wearing a fantastic paper costume. In doing so he was adopting the tactics

used by Dinocrates, who, in order to gain access to Alexander the Great, is

said to have appeared disguised as the naked Hercules when the monarch

was sitting in judgment.

the court artist, Martin Warnke. 1993

If the courtier happens to engage in arms in some public spectacle

such as jousting. . . he will ensure that the horse he has is beautifully

caparisoned, that he himself is suitably attired, with appropriate

mottoes and ingenious devices to attract the eyes of the onlookers

in his direction as surely as the lodestone attracts iron.

Baldassare Castiglione., 1478-1529

KEYS TO POWER

Burning more brighdy than those around you is a skill that no one is

born with. You have to learn to attract attention, “as surely as the lodestone

attracts iron.” At the start of your career, you must attach your name and

reputation to a quality, an image, that sets you apart from other people. This

image can be something like a characteristic style of dress, or a personality

quirk that amuses people and gets talked about. Once the image is

established, you have an appearance, a place in the sky for your star.

It is a common mistake to imagine that this peculiar appearance of

yours should not be controversial, mat to be attacked is somehow bad.

Nothing could be further from the truth. To avoid being a flash in the pan,

and having your notoriety eclipsed by another, you must not discriminate

between different types of attention; in the end, every kind will work in

your favor. Barnum, we have seen, welcomed personal attacks and felt no

need to defend himself. He deliberately courted the image of being a

humbug.

The court of Louis XIV contained many talented writers, artists, great

beauties, and men and women of impeccable virtue, but no one was more

talked about than the singular Due de Lauzun. The duke was short, almost

dwarfish, and he was prone to the most insolent kinds of behaviorhe slept

with the king's mistress, and openly insulted not only other courtiers but the

king himself. Louis, however, was so beguiled by the duke's eccentricities

that he could not bear his absences from the court. It was simple: The

strangeness of the duke's character attracted attention. Once people were

enthralled by him, they wanted him around at any cost.

Society craves larger-dian-life figures, people who stand above the

general mediocrity. Never be afraid, then, of the qualities that set you apart

and draw attention to you. Court controversy, even scandal. It is better to be

attacked, even slandered, than ignored. All professions are ruled by diis law,

and all professionals must have a bit of the showman about diem.

The great scientist Thomas Edison knew that to raise money he had to

remain in die public eye at any cost. Almost as important as die inventions

diemselves was how he presented diem to the public and courted attention.

Edison would design visually dazzling experiments to display his

discoveries widi electricity. He would talk of future inventions mat seemed

fantastic at the timerobots, and machines that could photograph thoughtand

that he had no intention of wasting his energy on, but tiiat made the public

talk about him. He did everything he could to make sure diat he received

more attention than his great rival Nikola Tesla, who may actually have

been more brilliant tiian he was but whose name was far less known. In

1915, it was rumored that Edison and Tesla would be joint recipients of mat

year's Nobel Prize in physics. The prize was eventually given to a pair of

English physicists; only later was it discovered mat die prize committee had

actually approached Edison, but he had turned tiiem down, refusing to share

the prize widi Tesla. By that time his fame was more secure than Tesla's,

and he thought it better to refuse the honor than to allow his rival die

attention that would have come even from sharing die prize.

If you find yourself in a lowly position tiiat offers little opportunity for

you to draw attention, an effective trick is to attack die most visible, most

famous, most powerful person you can find. When Pietro Aretino, a young

Roman servant boy of die early sixteenth century, wanted to get attention as

a writer of verses, he decided to publish a series of satirical poems

ridiculing die pope and his affection for a pet elephant. The attack put

Aretino in the public eye immediately. A slanderous attack on a person in a

position of power would have a similar effect. Remember, however, to use

such tactics sparingly after you have die public's attention, when die act can

wear thin.

Once in the limelight you must constantiy renew it by adapting and

varying your method of courting attention. If you don't, die public will grow

tired, will take you for granted, and will move on to a newer star. The game

requires constant vigilance and creativity. Pablo Picasso never allowed

himself to fade into die background; if his name became too at-

tached to a particular style, he would deliberately upset die public with a

new series of paintings that went against all expectations. Better to create

somediing ugly and disturbing, he believed, than to let viewers grow too

familiar with his work. Understand: People feel superior to die person

whose actions diey can predict. If you show diem who is in control by

playing against their expectations, you bodi gain their respect and tighten

your hold on dieir fleeting attention.

Image: The Limelight. The actor who steps into this brilliant light

attains a heightened presence. All eyes are on him. There is room for only

one actor at a time in the limelight's narrow beam; do whatever it takes to

make yourself its focus. Make your gestures so large, amusing, and

scandalous that the light stays on you while the other actors are left in the

shadows.

Authority: Be ostentatious and be seen. . . . What is not seen is as

diough it did not exist. ... It was light that first caused all creation to shine

forth. Display fills up many blanks, covers up deficiencies, and gives

everything a second life, especially when it is backed by genuine merit.

(Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)

PART II: CREATE AN AIR OF MYSTERY

In a world growing increasingly banal and familiar, what seems

enigmatic instantly draws attention. Never make it too clear what you are

doing or about to do. Do not show all your cards. An air of mystery

heightens your presence; it also creates anticipationeveryone will be

watching you to see what happens next. Use mystery to beguile, seduce,

even frighten.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

Beginning in 1905, rumors started to spread throughout Paris of a young

Oriental girl who danced in a private home, wrapped in veils mat she

gradually discarded. A local journalist who had seen her dancing reported

tiiat “a woman from the Far East had come to Europe laden with perfume

and jewels, to introduce some of the richness of the Oriental colour and life

into the satiated society of European cities.” Soon everyone knew die

dancer's name: Mata Hari.

Early that year, in the winter, small and select audiences would gather in

a salon filled with Indian statues and other relics while an orchestra played

music inspired by Hindu and Javanese melodies. After keeping the audience

waiting and wondering, Mata Hari would suddenly appear, in a startling

costume: a white cotton brassiere covered with Indian-type jewels; jeweled

bands at the waist supporting a sarong that revealed as much as it

concealed; bracelets up the arms. Then Mata Hari would dance, in a style

no one in France had seen before, her whole body swaying as if she were in

a trance. She told her excited and curious audience that her dances told

stories from Indian mythology and Javanese folktales. Soon the cream of

Paris, and ambassadors from far-off lands, were competing for invitations to

the salon, where it was rumored that Mata Hari was actually performing

sacred dances in the nude.

The public wanted to know more about her. She told journalists that she

was actually Dutch in origin, but had grown up on the island of Java. She

would also talk about time spent in India, how she had learned sacred

Hindu dances there, and how Indian women “can shoot straight, ride

horseback, and are capable of doing logarithms and talk philosophy.” By

the summer of 1905, although few Parisians had actually seen Mata Hari

dance, her name was on everyone's lips.

As Mata Hari gave more interviews, the story of her origins kept

changing: She had grown up in India, her grandmother was the daughter of

a Javanese princess, she had lived on the island of Sumatra where she had

spent her time “horseback riding, gun in hand, and risking her life.” No one

knew anything certain about her, but journalists did not mind these changes

in her biography. They compared her to an Indian goddess, a creature from

the pages of Baudelairewhatever their imagination wanted to see in this

mysterious woman from the East.

In August of 1905, Mata Hari performed for the first time in public.

Crowds thronging to see her on opening night caused a riot. She had

now become a cult figure, spawning many imitations. One reviewer wrote,

“Mata Hari personifies all die poetry of India, its mysticism, its

voluptuousness, its hypnotizing charm.” Anodier noted, “If India possesses

such unexpected treasures, men all Frenchmen will emigrate to the shores

of the Ganges.”

Soon the fame of Mata Hari and her sacred Indian dances spread

beyond Paris. She was invited to Berlin, Vienna, Milan. Over the next few

years she performed throughout Europe, mixed with the highest social

circles, and earned an income that gave her an independence rarely enjoyed

by a woman of the period. Then, near die end of World War I, she was

arrested in France, tried, convicted, and finally executed as a German spy.

Only during the trial did the truth come out: Mata Hari was not from Java or

India, had not grown up in the Orient, did not have a drop of Eastern blood

in her body. Her real name was Margaredia Zelle, and she came from die

stolid northern province of Friesland, Holland.

Interpretation

When Margaretha Zelle arrived in Paris, in 1904, she had half a franc in

her pocket. She was one of the thousands of beautiful young girls who

flocked to Paris every year, taking work as artists' models, nightclub

dancers, or vaudeville performers at die Folies Bergere. After a few years

they would inevitably be replaced by younger girls, and would often end up

on die streets, turning to prostitution, or else returning to the town they

came from, older and chastened.

Zelle had higher ambitions. She had no dance experience and had never

performed in the theater, but as a young girl she had traveled with her

family and had witnessed local dances in Java and Sumatra. Zelle clearly

understood that what was important in her act was not the dance itself, or

even her face or figure, but her ability to create an air of mystery about

herself. The mystery she created lay not just in her dancing, or her

costumes, or die stories she would tell, or her endless lies about her origins;

it lay in an atmosphere enveloping everything she did. There was notiiing

you could say for sure about hershe was always changing, always surprising

her audience witii new costumes, new dances, new stories. This air of

mystery left die public always wanting to know more, always wondering

about her next move. Mata Hari was no more beautiful tiian many of die

otiier young girls who came to Paris, and she was not a particularly good

dancer. What separated her from die mass, what attracted and held die

public's attention and made her famous and wealtiiy, was her mystery.

People are enthralled by mystery; because it invites constant interpretation,

diey never tire of it. The mysterious cannot be grasped. And what cannot be

seized and consumed creates power.

KEYS TO POWER

In die past, the world was filled with the terrifying and unknowable

diseases, disasters, capricious despots, the mystery of death itself. What we

could not understand we reimagined as myths and spirits. Over the

centuries, though, we have managed, through science and reason, to

illuminate the darkness; what was mysterious and forbidding has grown

familiar and comfortable. Yet diis light has a price: in a world diat is ever

more banal, diat has had its mystery and myth squeezed out of it, we

secretly crave enigmas, people or things that cannot be instantiy interpreted,

seized, and consumed.

That is the power of die mysterious: It invites layers of interpretation,

excites our imagination, seduces us into believing that it conceals

something marvelous. The world has become so familiar and its inhabitants

so predictable that what wraps itself in mystery will almost always draw die

limelight to it and make us watch it.

Do not imagine diat to create an air of mystery you have to be grand and

awe-inspiring. Mystery that is woven into your day-to-day demeanor, and is

subde, has mat much more power to fascinate and attract attention.

Remember: Most people are upfront, can be read like an open book, take

little care to control their words or image, and are hopelessly predictable.

By simply holding back, keeping silent, occasionally uttering ambiguous

phrases, deliberately appearing inconsistent, and acting odd in die subdest

of ways, you will emanate an aura of mystery. The people around you will

men magnify diat aura by constantiy trying to interpret you.

Both artists and con artists understand the vital link between being

mysterious and attracting interest. Count Victor Lustig, the aristocrat of

swindlers, played die game to perfection. He was always doing things mat

were different, or seemed to make no sense. He would show up at die best

hotels in a limo driven by a Japanese chauffeur; no one had ever seen a

Japanese chauffeur before, so this seemed exotic and strange. Lustig would

dress in die most expensive clothing, but always widi sometiiinga medal, a

flower, an armbandout of place, at least in conventional terms. This was

seen not as tasteless but as odd and intriguing. In hotels he would be seen

receiving telegrams at all hours, one after the other, brought to him by his

Japanese chauffeurtelegrams he would tear up widi utter nonchalance. (In

fact they were fakes, completely blank.) He would sit alone in the dining

room, reading a large and impressive-looking book, smiling at people yet

remaining aloof. Widiin a few days, of course, die entire hotel would be

abuzz with interest in diis strange man.

All this attention allowed Lustig to lure suckers in with ease. They

would beg for his confidence and his company. Everyone wanted to be seen

widi diis mysterious aristocrat. And in the presence of diis distracting

enigma, they wouldn't even notice that diey were being robbed blind.

An air of mystery can make the mediocre appear intelligent and

profound. It made Mata Hari, a woman of average appearance and

intelligence, seem like a goddess, and her dancing divinely inspired. An air

mystery about an artist makes his or her artwork immediately more

intriguing, a trick Marcel Duchamp played to great effect. It is all very easy

to dosay little about your work, tease and titillate with alluring, even

contradictory comments, then stand back and let others try to make sense of

it all.

Mysterious people put others in a kind of inferior positionthat of trying

to figure them out. To degrees that they can control, diey also elicit die fear

surrounding anything uncertain or unknown. All great leaders know that an

aura of mystery draws attention to them and creates an intimidating

presence. Mao Tse-tung, for example, cleverly cultivated an enigmatic

image; he had no worries about seeming inconsistent or contradicting

himselfthe very contradictoriness of his actions and words meant that he

always had the upper hand. No one, not even his own wife, ever felt diey

understood him, and he therefore seemed larger than life. This also meant

that the public paid constant attention to him, ever anxious to witness his

next move.

If your social position prevents you from completely wrapping your

actions in mystery, you must at least learn to make yourself less obvious.

Every now and men, act in a way that does not mesh with other people's

perception of you. This way you keep those around you on the defensive,

eliciting the kind of attention that makes you powerful. Done right, the

creation of enigma can also draw the kind of attention that strikes terror into

your enemy.

During the Second Punic War (219-202 B.C.), the great Carthaginian

general Hannibal was wreaking havoc in his march on Rome. Hannibal was

known for his cleverness and duplicity.

Under his leadership Carthage's army, though smaller than those of the

Romans, had constandy outmaneuvered them. On one occasion, though,

Hannibal's scouts made a horrible blunder, leading his troops into a marshy

terrain with the sea at their back. The Roman army blocked the mountain

passes mat led inland, and its general, Fabius, was ecstaticat last he had

Hannibal trapped. Posting his best sentries on the passes, he worked on a

plan to destroy Hannibal's forces. But in the middle of the night, die sentries

looked down to see a mysterious sight: A huge procession of lights was

heading up die mountain. Thousands and thousands of lights. If this was

Hannibal's army, it had suddenly grown a hundredfold.

The sentries argued heatedly about what this could mean:

Reinforcements from the sea Troops tiiat had been hidden in die area

Ghosts No explanation made sense.

As they watched, fires broke out all over the mountain, and a horrible

noise drifted up to them from below, like the blowing of a million horns.

Demons, they thought. The sentries, the bravest and most sensible in the

Roman army, fled their posts in a panic.

By the next day, Hannibal had escaped from the marshland. What was

his trick Had he really conjured up demons Actually what he had done was

order bundles of twigs to be fastened to the horns of the thousands of oxen

that traveled with his troops as beasts of burden. The twigs were then

lit, giving the impression of the torches of a vast army heading up the

mountain. When the flames burned down to the oxen's skin, they stampeded

in all directions, bellowing like mad and setting fires all over the

mountainside. The key to mis device's success was not the torches, the fires,

or the noises in themselves, however, but the fact that Hannibal had created

a puzzle that captivated the sentries' attention and gradually terrified them.

From the mountaintop there was no way to explain this bizarre sight. If the

sentries could have explained it they would have stayed at their posts.

If you find yourself trapped, cornered, and on the defensive in some

situation, try a simple experiment: Do something that cannot be easily

explained or interpreted. Choose a simple action, but carry it out in a way

that unsettles your opponent, a way with many possible interpretations,

making your intentions obscure. Don't just be unpredictable (although this

tactic too can be successfulsee Law 17); like Hannibal, create a scene that

cannot be read. There will seem to be no method to your madness, no

rhyme or reason, no single explanation. If you do this right, you will inspire

fear and trembling and the sentries will abandon their posts. Call it the

“feigned madness of Hamlet” tactic, for Hamlet uses it to great effect in

Shakespeare's play, frightening his stepfather Claudius through die mystery

of his behavior. The mysterious makes your forces seem larger, your power

more terrifying.

Image: The Dance of the Veilsthe veils envelop the dancer. What they

reveal causes excitement. What they conceal heightens interest. The essence

of mystery.

Authority: If you do not declare yourself immediately, you arouse

expectation. . . . Mix a little mystery with everything, and the very mystery

stirs up veneration. And when you explain, be not too explicit. ... In this

manner you imitate the Divine way when you cause men to wonder and

watch. (Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)

REVERSAL

In the beginning of your rise to the top, you must attract attention at all

cost, but as you rise higher you must constantly adapt. Never wear the

public out with the same tactic. An air of mystery works wonders for those

who need to develop an aura of power and get themselves noticed, but it

must seem measured and under control. Mata Hari went too far with her

fabrications; although the accusation that she was a spy was false, at the

time it was a reasonable presumption because all her lies made her seem

suspicious and nefarious. Do not let your air of mystery be slowly

transformed into a reputation for deceit. The mystery you create must seem

a game, playful and unthreatening. Recognize when it goes too far, and pull

back.

There are times when the need for attention must be deferred, and when

scandal and notoriety are the last things you want to create. The attention

you attract must never offend or challenge the reputation of those above

younot, at any rate, if they are secure. You will seem not only paltry but

desperate by comparison. There is an art to knowing when to draw notice

and when to wididraw.

Lola Montez was one of die great practitioners of the art of attracting

attention. She managed to rise from a middle-class Irish background to

being the lover of Franz Liszt and then the mistress and political adviser of

King Ludwig of Bavaria. In her later years, though, she lost her sense of

proportion.

In London in 1850 there was to be a performance of Shakespeare's

Macbeth featuring the greatest actor of the time, Charles John Kean.

Everyone of consequence in English society was to be there; it was rumored

that even Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were to make a public

appearance. The custom of the period demanded that everyone be seated

before the queen arrived. So the audience got there a little early, and when

the queen entered her royal box, diey observed die convention of standing

up and applauding her. The royal couple waited, then bowed. Everyone sat

down and the lights were dimmed. Then, suddenly, all eyes turned to a box

opposite Queen Victoria's: A woman appeared from the shadows, taking her

seat later tiian the queen. It was Lola Montez. She wore a diamond tiara on

her dark hair and a long fur coat over her shoulders. People whispered in

amazement as the ermine cloak was dropped to reveal a low-necked gown

of crimson velvet. By turning tfieir heads, the audience could see that the

royal couple deliberately avoided looking at Lola's box. They followed

Victoria's example, and for the rest of the evening Lola Montez was

ignored. After that evening no one in fashionable society dared to be seen

with her. All her magnetic powers were reversed. People would flee her

sight. Her future in England was finished.

Never appear overly greedy for attention, then, for it signals insecurity,

and insecurity drives power away. Understand that there are times when it is

not in your interest to be the center of attention. When in the presence of a

king or queen, for instance, or the equivalent thereof, bow and retreat to the

shadows; never compete.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 7

GET OTHERS TO DO THE

WORK FOR YOU, BUT

ALWAYS TAKE THE CREDIT

JUDGMENT

Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further

your own cause. Not only will such assistance save you valuable time and

energy, it will give you a godlike aura of efficiency and speed. In the end

your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered. Never do

yourself what others can do for you.

TRANSGRESSION AND OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW In 1883 a

young Serbian scientist named Nikola Tesla was working for the European

division of die Continental Edison Company. He was a brilliant inventor,

and Charles Batchelor, a plant manager and a personal friend of Thomas

Edison, persuaded him he should seek his fortune in America, giving him a

letter of introduction to Edison himself. So began a life of woe and

tribulation mat lasted until Tesla's death.

When Tesla met Edison in New York, the famous inventor hired him on

the spot. Tesla worked eighteen-hour days, finding ways to improve the

primitive Edison dynamos. Finally he offered to redesign diem completely.

To Edison diis seemed a monumental task mat could last years wimout

paying off, but he told Tesla, “There's fifty diousand dollars in it for you if

you can do it.” Tesla labored day and night on the project and after only a

year he produced a greatiy improved version of the dynamo, complete with

automatic controls. He went to Edison to break the good news and receive

his $50,000. Edison was pleased with the improvement, for which he and

his company would take credit, but when it came to the issue of the money

he told the young Serb, “Tesla, you don't understand our American

humor!,” and offered a small raise instead.

Tesla's obsession was to create an alternating-current system (AC) of

electricity. Edison believed in the direct-current system (DC), and not only

refused to support Tesla's research but later did all he could to sabotage

him. Tesla turned to die great Pittsburgh magnate George Westinghouse,

who had started his own electricity company. Westinghouse completely

funded Tesla's research and offered him a generous royalty agreement on

future profits. The AC system Tesla developed is still the standard today but

after patents were filed in his name, other scientists came forward to take

credit for the invention, claiming mat they had laid the groundwork for him.

His name was lost in the shuffle, and the public came to associate the

invention widi Westinghouse himself.

A year later, Westinghouse was caught in a takeover bid from J.

Pierpont Morgan, who made him rescind the generous royalty contract he

had signed widi Tesla. Westinghouse explained to the scientist mat his

company would not survive if it had to pay him his full royalties; he

persuaded Tesla to accept a buyout of his patents for $216,000a large sum,

no doubt, but far less dian the $12 million mey were worth at the time. The

financiers had divested Tesla of the riches, the patents, and essentially me

credit for the greatest invention of his career.

The name of Guglielmo Marconi is forever linked widi the invention of

radio. But few know mat in producing his inventionhe broadcast a signal

across the English Channel in 1899Marconi made use of a patent Tesla had

filed in 1897, and that his work depended on Tesla's research. Once again

Tesla received no money and no credit. Tesla invented an induction motor

as well as the AC power system, and he is die real “fatiier of radio.” Yet

none of diese discoveries bear his name. As an old man, he lived in poverty.

THE TORTOISE. THE ELEPHANT AND THE HIPPOPOTAMI'S

One day the tortoise met the elephant, who trumpeted, “Out of my way,

you weakling / might step on you!” The tortoise was not afraid and stayed

where he was, so the elephant stepped on him, but could not crush him. “Do

not boast, Mr. Elephant, I am as strong as you are!”said the tortoise, but the

elephant just laughed. So the tortoise asked him to come to his hill the next

morning.

The next day, before sunrise, the tortoise ran down the hill to the river,

where he met the hippopotamus, who was just on his way back into the

water after his nocturnal feeding. “Mr Hippo! Shall we have a tug-of-war I

bet I'm as strong as you are!” said the tortoise. The hippopotamus laughed

at this ridiculous idea, but agreed. The tortoise produced a long rope and

told the hippo to hold it in his mouth until the tortoise shouted “Hey!” Then

the tortoise ran back up the hill where he found the elephant, who was

getting impatient. He gave the elephant the other end of the rope and said,

“When I say 'Hey!' pull, and you'll see which of us is the strongest.” Then

he ran halfway back down the

hill, to a place where he couldn be seen, and shouted, “Hey!” The

elephant and the hippopotamus pulled and pulled, but neither could budge

the otherthey were of equal strength. They both agreed that the tortoise was

as strong as thev were. Never do what others can do for you. The tortoise let

others do the work for him while he got the credit.

ZaIRHAN FAlil.h

To be sure, if the hunter relies on the security of the carriage, utilizes the

legs of the six horses, and makes Wang Liang hold their reins, then he will

not tire himself and will find it easy to overtake swift animals. Now

supposing he discarded the advantage of the carriage, gave up the useful

legs of the horses and the skill of Wang Liang, and alighted to run after the

animals, then even though his legs were as quick as Lou Chi's, he would not

be in time to overtake the animals. In fact, if good horses and strong

carriages are taken into use, then mere bondmen and bondwomen will be

good enough to catch the animals.

Han-lki-tzi;,

Chinlsk philosopher,

third (tintury b.c.

In 1917, during his later impoverished years, Tesla was told he was to

receive the Edison Medal of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers.

He turned the medal down. “You propose,” he said, “to honor me with a

medal which I could pin upon my coat and strut for a vain hour before the

members of your Institute. You would decorate my body and continue to let

starve, for failure to supply recognition, my mind and its creative products,

which have supplied the foundation upon which the major portion of your

Institute exists.”

Interpretation

Many harbor the illusion that science, dealing with facts as it does, is

beyond the petty rivalries that trouble the rest of the world. Nikola Tesla

was one of those. He believed science had nothing to do with politics, and

claimed not to care for fame and riches. As he grew older, though, this

ruined his scientific work. Not associated with any particular discovery, he

could attract no investors to his many ideas. While he pondered great

inventions for the future, others stole the patents he had already developed

and got the glory for themselves.

He wanted to do everything on his own, but merely exhausted and

impoverished himself in the process.

Edison was Tesla's polar opposite. He wasn't actually much of a

scientific thinker or inventor; he once said that he had no need to be a

mathematician because he could always hire one. That was Edison's main

method. He was really a businessman and publicist, spotting the trends and

the opportunities that were out there, then hiring the best in the field to do

the work for him. If he had to he would steal from his competitors. Yet his

name is much better known than Tesla's, and is associated with more

inventions.

The lesson is twofold: First, the credit for an invention or creation is as

important, if not more important, than the invention itself. You must secure

the credit for yourself and keep others from stealing it away, or from

piggybacking on your hard work. To accomplish this you must always be

vigilant and ruthless, keeping your creation quiet until you can be sure there

are no vultures circling overhead. Second, learn to take advantage of other

people's work to further your own cause. Time is precious and life is short.

If you try to do it all on your own, you run yourself ragged, waste energy,

and burn yourself out. It is far better to conserve your forces, pounce on the

work others have done, and find a way to make it your own.

Everybody steals in commerce and industry.

I've stolen a lot myself.

But I know how to steal.

Thomas Edison, 1847-1931

KEYS TO POWER

A hen who had lost her sight, and was accustomed to scratching up

till continued to scratch awav most diligently. Of what use was

sighted hen who spared her tender feet never moved from her side,

The world of power has the dynamics of the jungle: There are those

who live by hunting and killing, and there are also vast numbers of

creatures (hyenas, vultures) who live off the hunting of others. These latter,

less imaginative types are often incapable of doing the work that is essential

for the creation of power. They understand early on, though, mat if they

wait the earth in search of long enough, they can always find another

animal to do the work for them. /'Ç"' although Mind, Do not be naive: At

this very moment, while you are slaving away on some project, there are

vultures circling above trying to figure out a way to survive and even thrive

off your creativity. It is useless to complain about this, it to the industrious

or to wear yourself ragged with bitterness, as Tesla did. Better to protect

fool Another sharp yourself and join the game. Once you have established a

power base, become a vulture yourself, and save yourself a lot of time and

energy.

Of the two poles of this game, one can be illustrated by the example of

and enjoyed, without the explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa. Balboa had an

obsessionthe dis- scratching, the fruit of covery of El Dorado, a legendary

city of vast riches.

Early in the sixteenth century, after countless hardships and brushes

often as the blind hen scratched up a barlcv-

TABLKS,

GOTTIIOl.D Ll-SSIMi.

1729-1781

with death, he found evidence of a great and wealthy empire to the

south corn, her watchful of Mexico, in present-day Peru. By conquering this

empire, the Incan, and companion devoured seizing its gold, he would make

himself the next Cortes. The problem was that even as he made this

discovery, word of it spread among hundreds of other conquistadors. He did

not understand diat half the game was keeping it quiet, and carefully

watching those around him. A few years after he discovered the location of

the Incan empire, a soldier in his own army, Francisco Pizarro, helped to get

him beheaded for treason. Pizarro went on to take what Balboa had spent so

many years trying to find.

The other pole is that of the artist Peter Paul Rubens, who, late in his

career, found himself deluged with requests for paintings. He created a

system: In his large studio he employed dozens of outstanding painters, one

specializing in robes, another in backgrounds, and so on. He created a vast

production line in which a large number of canvases would be worked on at

the same time. When an important client visited the studio, Rubens would

shoo his hired painters out for the day. While the client watched from a

balcony, Rubens would work at an incredible pace, with unbelievable

energy. The client would leave in awe of this prodigious man, who could

paint so many masterpieces in so short a time.

This is the essence of the Law: Learn to get others to do the work for

you while you take the credit, and you appear to be of godlike strength and

power. If you think it important to do all the work yourself, you will never

get far, and you will suffer the fate of the Balboas and Teslas of the world.

Find people with the skills and creativity you lack. Either hire them, while

putting your own name on top of theirs, or find a way to take their work and

make it your own. Their creativity thus becomes yours, and you seem a

genius to the world.

There is another application of this law that does not require the

parasitic use of your contemporaries' labor: Use the past, a vast storehouse

knowledge and wisdom. Isaac Newton called this “standing on the

shoulders of giants.” He meant that in making his discoveries he had built

on the achievements of others. A great part of his aura of genius, he knew,

was attributable to his shrewd ability to make the most of the insights of

ancient, medieval, and Renaissance scientists. Shakespeare borrowed plots,

characterizations, and even dialogue from Plutarch, among other writers,

for he knew that nobody surpassed Plutarch in the writing of subde

psychology and witty quotes. How many later writers have in their tarn

borrowed from plagiarized Shakespeare

We all know how few of today's politicians write their own speeches.

Their own words would not win them a single vote; their eloquence and

wit, whatever diere is of it, they owe to a speech writer. Other people do the

work, they take the credit. The upside of this is that it is a kind of power

that is available to everyone. Learn to use the knowledge of the past and

you will look like a genius, even when you are really just a clever borrower.

Writers who have delved into human nature, ancient masters of strategy,

historians of human stupidity and folly, kings and queens who have learned

the hard way how to handle the burdens of powertheir knowledge is

gathering dust, waiting for you to come and stand on their shoulders. Their

wit can be your wit, their skill can be your skill, and they will never come

around to tell people how unoriginal you really are. You can slog through

life, making endless mistakes, wasting time and energy trying to do things

from your own experience. Or you can use the armies of die past. As

Bismarck once said, “Fools say that they learn by experience. I prefer to

profit by others' experience.”

Image: The Vulture. Of all the creatures in the jungle, he has it the

easiest. The hard work of others becomes his work; their failure to survive

becomes his nourishment. Keep an eye on the Vulturewhile you are hard at

work, he is circling above. Do not fight him, join him.

Authority: There is much to be known, life is short, and life is not life

without knowledge. It is therefore an excellent device to acquire knowledge

from everybody. Thus, by the sweat of another's brow, you win the

reputation of being an oracle. (Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)

REVERSAL

There are times when taking the credit for work that others have done is

not the wise course: If your power is not firmly enough established, you

will seem to be pushing people out of the limelight. To be a brilliant

exploiter of talent your position must be unshakable, or you will be accused

of deception.

Be sure you know when letting other people share the credit serves your

purpose. It is especially important to not be greedy when you have a master

above you. President Richard Nixon's historic visit to the People's Republic

of China was originally his idea, but it might never have come off but for

the deft diplomacy of Henry Kissinger. Nor would it have been as

successful without Kissinger's skills. Still, when the time came to take

credit, Kissinger adroitiy let Nixon take die lion's share. Knowing that the

truth would come out later, he was careful not to jeopardize his standing in

the short term by hogging the limelight. Kissinger played the game

expertly: He took credit for the work of those below him while graciously

giving credit for his own labors to those above. That is the way to play the

game.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 8

MAKE OTHER PEOPLE

COME TO YOU

USE BAIT IF NECESSARY

JUDGMENT

When you force the other person to act, you are the one in control. It is

always better to make your opponent come to you, abandoning his own

plans in the process. Lure him with fabulous gainsthen attack. You hold the

cards.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

At die Congress of Vienna in 1814, die major powers of Europe

gadiered to carve up the remains of Napoleon's fallen Empire. The city was

full of gaiety and die balls were die most splendid in memory. Hovering

over die proceedings, however, was die shadow of Napoleon himself.

Instead of being executed or exiled far away, he had been sent to die island

of Elba, not far from die coast of Italy.

Even imprisoned on an island, a man as bold and creative as Napoleon

Bonaparte made everyone nervous. The Austrians plotted to kill him on

Elba, but decided it was too risky. Alexander I, Russia's temperamental

czar, heightened die anxiety by dirowing a fit during the congress when a

part of Poland was denied him: “Beware, I shall loose die monster!” he

mreatened. Everyone knew he meant Napoleon. Of all die statesmen

gadiered in Vienna, only Talleyrand, Napoleon's former foreign minister,

seemed calm and unconcerned. It was as if he knew somediing the odiers

did not.

Meanwhile, on die island of Elba, Napoleon's life was a mockery of his

previous glory. As Elba's “king,” he had been allowed to form a court there

was a cook, a wardrobe mistress, an official pianist, and a handful of

courtiers. All this was designed to humiliate Napoleon, and it seemed to

work.

That winter, however, there occurred a series of events so strange and

dramatic they might have been scripted in a play. Elba was surrounded by

British ships, dieir cannons covering all possible exit points. Yet somehow,

in broad daylight on 26 February 1815, a ship with nine hundred men on

board picked up Napoleon and put to sea. The English gave chase but the

ship got away. This almost impossible escape astonished die public

throughout Europe, and terrified die statesmen at the Congress of Vienna.

Akhough it would have been safer to leave Europe, Napoleon not only

chose to return to France, he raised die odds by marching on Paris with a

tiny army, in hopes of recapturing the throne. His strategy workedpeople of

all classes direw themselves at his feet. An army under Marshal Ney sped

from Paris to arrest him, but when die soldiers saw dieir beloved former

leader, diey changed sides. Napoleon was declared emperor again.

Volunteers swelled the ranks of his new army. Delirium swept the country.

In Paris, crowds went wild. The king who had replaced Napoleon fled the

country.

For die next hundred days, Napoleon ruled France. Soon, however, the

giddiness subsided. France was bankrupt, its resources nearly exhausted,

and diere was little Napoleon could do about mis. At die Batde of Waterloo,

in June of diat year, he was finally defeated for good. This time his enemies

had learned dieir lesson: They exiled him to the barren island of Saint

Helena, off the west coast of Africa. There he had no more hope of escape.

Interpretation

Only years later did the facts of Napoleon's dramatic escape from Elba

come to light. Before he decided to attempt diis bold move, visitors to his

court had told him diat he was more popular in France than ever, and diat

the country would embrace him again. One of tiiese visitors was

Austria's General Koller, who convinced Napoleon that if he escaped, the

European powers, England included, would welcome him back into power.

Napoleon was tipped off that the English would let him go, and indeed his

escape occurred in the middle of the afternoon, in full view of English

spyglasses.

What Napoleon did not know was that there was a man behind it all,

pulling the strings, and that this man was his former minister, Talleyrand.

And Talleyrand was doing all this not to bring back the glory days but to

crush Napoleon once and for all. Considering the emperor's ambition

unsettling to Europe's stability, he had turned against him long ago. When

Napoleon was exiled to Elba, Talleyrand had protested. Napoleon should be

sent farther away, he argued, or Europe would never have peace. But no one

listened.

Instead of pushing his opinion, Talleyrand bided his time. Working

quiedy, he eventually won over Casdereagh and Metternich, the foreign

ministers of England and Austria.

Together these men baited Napoleon into escaping. Even Roller's visit,

to whisper the promise of glory in die exile's ear, was part of the plan. Like

a master cardplayer, Talleyrand figured eveiything out in advance. He knew

Napoleon would fall into the trap he had set. He also foresaw that Napoleon

would lead the country into a war, which, given France's weakened

condition, could only last a few mondis. One diplomat in Vienna, who

understood that Talleyrand was behind it all, said, “He has set the house

ablaze in order to save it from the plague.”

When I have laid bait for deer,

I don't shoot at the first doe that comes to sniff,

but wait until the whole herd has gathered round.

Otto von Bismarck, 1815-1898

KEYS TO POWER

How many times has this scenario played itself out in history: An

aggressive leader initiates a series of bold moves mat begin by bringing him

much power. Slowly, however, his power reaches a peak, and soon

everything turns against him. His numerous enemies band together; trying

to maintain his power, he exhausts himself going in this direction and that,

and inevitably he collapses. The reason for this pattern is that the aggressive

person is rarely in full control. He cannot see more than a couple of moves

ahead, cannot see the consequences of diis bold move or that one. Because

he is constantiy being forced to react to the moves of his evergrowing host

of enemies, and to the unforeseen consequences of his own rash actions, his

aggressive energy is turned against him.

In the realm of power, you must ask yourself, what is the point of

chasing here and mere, trying to solve problems and defeat my enemies, if I

never feel in control Why am I always having to react to events instead of

directing them The answer is simple: Your idea of power is wrong. You

have mistaken aggressive action for effective action. And most often the

most effective action is to stay back, keep calm, and let others be frustrated

by the traps you lay for them, playing for long-term power rather than quick

victory.

Remember: The essence of power is the ability to keep the initiative, to

get others to react to your moves, to keep your opponent and those around

you on the defensive. When you make other people come to you, you

suddenly become the one controlling the situation. And the one who has

control has power. Two things must happen to place you in this position:

You yourself must learn to master your emotions, and never to be

influenced by anger; meanwhile, however, you must play on people's

natural tendency to react angrily when pushed and baited. In the long run,

the ability to make others come to you is a weapon far more powerful than

any tool of aggression.

Study how Talleyrand, the master of the art, performed this delicate

trick. First, he overcame the urge to try to convince his fellow statesmen

that they needed to banish Napoleon far away. It is only natural to want to

persuade people by pleading your case, imposing your will with words. But

this often turns against you. Few of Talleyrand's contemporaries believed

Napoleon was still a threat, so that if he had spent a lot of energy trying to

convince them, he would only have made himself look foolish. Instead, he

held his tongue and his emotions in check. Most important of all, he laid

Napoleon a sweet and irresistible trap. He knew the man's weakness, his

impetuosity, his need for glory and the love of the masses, and he played all

this to perfection. When Napoleon went for the bait, there was no danger

that he might succeed and turn the tables on Talleyrand, who better than

anyone knew France's depleted state. And even had Napoleon been able to

overcome these difficulties, the likelihood of his success would have been

greater were he able to choose his time and place of action. By setting the

proper trap, Talleyrand took the time and place into his own hands.

All of us have only so much energy, and there is a moment when our

energies are at their peak. When you make the other person come to you, he

wears himself out, wasting his energy on the trip. In the year 1905, Russia

and Japan were at war. The Japanese had only recently begun to modernize

their warships, so that the Russians had a stronger navy, but by spreading

false information the Japanese marshal Togo Heihachiro baited the Russians

into leaving their docks in the Baltic Sea, making them believe they could

wipe out the Japanese fleet in one swift attack. The Russian fleet could not

reach Japan by the quickest routethrough the Strait of Gibraltar and then the

Suez Canal into the Indian Oceanbecause these were controlled by the

British, and Japan was an ally of Great Britain. They had to go around the

Cape of Good Hope, at die southern tip of Africa, adding over more than

six thousand miles to die voyage. Once the fleet passed the Cape, the

Japanese spread another false story: They were sailing to launch a

counterattack. So the Russians made the entire journey to Japan on combat

alert. By the time diey arrived, their seamen were tense, exhausted, and

overworked, while the Japanese had been waiting at their ease. Despite die

odds and their lack of experience in modern naval warfare, the Japanese

crushed the Russians.

One added benefit of making the opponent come to you, as the Japanese

discovered with the Russians, is that it forces him to operate in your

territory. Being on hostile ground will make him nervous and often he will

rush his actions and make mistakes. For negotiations or meetings, it is

always wise to lure others into your territory, or the territory of your choice.

You have your bearings, while they see nothing familiar and are subdy

placed on the defensive.

Manipulation is a dangerous game. Once someone suspects he is being

manipulated, it becomes harder and harder to control him. But when you

make your opponent come to you, you create the illusion that he is

controlling the situation. He does not feel the strings that pull him, just as

Napoleon imagined that he himself was the master of his daring escape and

return to power.

Everything depends on the sweetness of your bait. If your trap is

attractive enough, the turbulence of your enemies' emotions and desires will

blind them to reality. The greedier they become, the more they can be led

around.

The great nineteenth-century robber baron Daniel Drew was a master at

playing the stock market. When he wanted a particular stock to be bought

or sold, driving prices up or down, he rarely resorted to the direct approach.

One of his tricks was to hurry through an exclusive club near Wall Street,

obviously on his way to the stock exchange, and to pull out his customary

red bandanna to wipe his perspiring brow. A slip of paper would fall from

this bandanna that he would pretend not to notice. The club's members were

always trying to foresee Drew's moves, and they would pounce on the

paper, which invariably seemed to contain an inside tip on a stock. Word

would spread, and members would buy or sell the stock in droves, playing

perfectly into Drew's hands.

If you can get other people to dig their own graves, why sweat yourself

Pickpockets work this to perfection. The key to picking a pocket is knowing

which pocket contains the wallet. Experienced pickpockets often ply their

trade in train stations and other places where there is a clearly marked sign

reading BEWARE OF PICKPOCKETS. Passersby seeing the sign

invariably feel for their wallet to make sure it is still there. For the watching

pickpockets, this is like shooting fish in a barrel. Pickpockets have even

been known to place their own BEWARE OF PICKPOCKETS signs to

ensure their success.

When you are making people come to you, it is sometimes better to let

them know you are forcing their hand. You give up deception for overt

manipulation. The psychological ramifications are profound: The person

who makes others come to him appears powerful, and demands respect.

Filippo Brunelleschi, the great Renaissance artist and architect, was a

great practitioner of the art of making others come to him as a sign of his

power. On one occasion he had been engaged to repair the dome of die

Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral in Florence. The commission was impor-

tant and prestigious. But when the city officials hired a second man,

Lorenzo Ghiberti, to work with Brunelleschi, the great artist brooded in

secret. He knew that Ghiberti had gotten the job through his connections,

and that he would do none of the work and get half the credit. At a critical

moment of the construction, then, Brunelleschi suddenly developed a

mysterious illness. He had to stop work, but pointed out to city officials that

they had hired Ghiberti, who should have been able to continue the work on

his own. Soon it became clear that Ghiberti was useless and the officials

came begging to Brunelleschi. He ignored mem, insisting that Ghiberti

should finish the project, until finally they realized the problem: They fired

Ghiberti.

By some miracle, Brunelleschi recovered within days. He did not have

to throw a tantrum or make a fool of himself; he simply practiced the art of

“making others come to you.”

If on one occasion you make it a point of dignity that others must come

to you and you succeed, they will continue to do so even after you stop

trying.

Image: The Honeyed Bear Trap. The bear hunter does not chase his

prey; a bear that knows it is hunted is nearly impossible to catch and is

ferocious if cornered. Instead, the hunter lays traps baited with honey. He

does not exhaust himself and risk his life in pursuit He baits, then waits.

Authority: Good warriors make others come to them, and do not go to

others. This is the principle of emptiness and fullness of others and self.

When you induce opponents to come to you, then their force is always

empty; as long as you do not go to them, your force is always full.

Attacking emptiness with fullness is like throwing stones on eggs. (Zhang

Yu, eleventh-century commentator on The Art of War)

REVERSAL

Although it is generally the wiser policy to make others exhaust

themselves chasing you, there are opposite cases where striking suddenly

and aggressively at the enemy so demoralizes him that his energies sink.

Instead of making others come to you, you go to them, force the issue, take

the lead. Fast attack can be an awesome weapon, for it forces the other

person to react without the time to tiiink or plan. With no time to think,

people make errors of judgment, and are thrown on die defensive. This

tactic is the obverse of waiting and baiting, but it serves die same function:

You make your enemy respond on your terms.

Men like Cesare Borgia and Napoleon used tiie element of speed to

intimidate and control. A rapid and unforeseen move is terrifying and

demoralizing. You must choose your tactics depending on the situation. If

you have time on your side, and know that you and your enemies are at

least at equal strength, then deplete their strength by making them come to

you. If time is against youyour enemies are weaker, and waiting will only

give them the chance to recovergive tiiem no such chance. Strike quickly

and they have nowhere to go. As the boxer Joe Louis put it, “He can run,

but he can't hide.”

48 Laws of Power

LAW 9

WIN THROUGH YOUR

ACTIONS, NEVER THROUGH ARGUMENT

JUDGMENT

Any momentary triumph you think you have gained through argument

is really a Pyrrhic victory: The resentment and ill will you stir up is stronger

and lasts longer than any momentary change of opinion. It is much more

powerful to get others to agree with you through your actions, without

saying a word. Demonstrate, do not explicate.

A vizier had served his master for some thirty years and was known and

admired for his loyalty, truthfulness, and devotion to God. His honesty,

however, had made him many enemies in the court, who spread stories of

his duplicity and perfidy. They worked on the sultan dav in and day out

until he loo came to distrust the innocent vizier and finally ordered the man

who had served him so well to he put to death. In this realm, those

condemned to death were tied up and thrown into the pen where the sultan

kept his fiercest hunting dogs. The dogs would promptly tear the victim to

pieces. Before being thrown to the dogs, however, the vizier asked for one

last request. “I would like ten days' respite,”he said, “so that I can pay tnv

debts, collect any monev due to me, return items that people have put in my

care, and share out my goods among the mendiers of tnv family and mv

children and appoint a guardian for them. ” After receiving a guar antee that

the vizier would not try to escape, the sultan granted this request. The vizier

hurried home, collected one hundred gold pieces, then paid a visit to the

huntsman who looked after the sultan \s

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

In 131 B.C., the Roman consul Publius Crassus Dives Mucianus, laying

siege to the Greek town of Pergamus, found himself in need of a battering

ram to force through the town's walls. He had seen a couple of hefty ship's

masts in a shipyard in Athens a few days before, and he ordered that the

larger of these be sent to him immediately. The military engineer in Athens

who received the order felt certain that the consul really wanted the smaller

of the masts. He argued endlessly with the soldiers who delivered the

request: The smaller mast, he told them, was much better suited to the task.

And indeed it would be easier to transport.

The soldiers warned the engineer that their master was not a man to

argue with, but he insisted that the smaller mast would be the only one that

would work with a machine that he was constructing to go with it. He drew

diagram after diagram, and went so far as to say that he was the expert and

they had no clue what they were talking about. The soldiers knew their

leader and at last convinced the engineer that it would be better to swallow

his expertise and obey.

After they left, though, the engineer thought about it some more. What

was the point, he asked himself, in obeying an order that would lead to

failure And so he sent the smaller mast, confident that the consul would see

how much more effective it was and reward him jusdy.

When the smaller mast arrived, Mucianus asked his soldiers for an

explanation. They described to him how the engineer had argued endlessly

for the smaller mast, but had finally promised to send the larger one.

Mucianus went into a rage. He could not concentrate on the siege, or

consider the importance of breaching the walls before the town received

reinforcements. All he could think about was the impudent engineer, whom

he ordered to be brought to him immediately.

Arriving a few days later, the engineer gladly explained to the consul,

one more time, the reasons for the smaller mast. He went on and on, using

me same arguments he had made with the soldiers. He said it was wise to

listen to experts in these matters, and if the attack was only tried with the

battering ram he had sent, die consul would not regret it. Mucianus let him

finish, then had him stripped naked before the soldiers and flogged and

scourged with rods until he died.

Interpretation

The engineer, whose name has not been recorded by history, had spent

his life designing masts and pillars, and was respected as the finest engineer

in a city that had excelled in the science. He knew that he was right. A

smaller ram would allow more speed and carry more force. Larger is not

necessarily better. Of course the consul would see his logic, and would

eventually understand that science is neutral and reason superior. How

could the consul possibly persist in his ignorance if the engineer showed

him detailed diagrams and explained the theories behind his advice

The military engineer was the quintessence of die Arguer, a type found

everywhere among us. The Arguer does not understand that words

are never neutral, and that by arguing with a superior he impugns the

intelligence of one more powerful than he. He also has no awareness of the

person he is dealing with. Since each man believes that he is right, and

words will rarely convince him otherwise, the arguer's reasoning falls on

deaf ears. When cornered, he only argues more, digging his own grave.

Once he has made the other person feel insecure and inferior in his beliefs,

the eloquence of Socrates could not save the situation.

It is not simply a question of avoiding an argument with those who

stand above you. We all believe we are masters in the realm of opinions and

reasoning. You must be careful, then: Learn to demonstrate the correctness

of your ideas indirectiy.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

In 1502, in Florence, Italy, an enormous block of marble stood in the

works department of the church of Santa Maria del Fiore. It had once been a

magnificent piece of raw stone, but an unskillful sculptor had mistakenly

bored a hole through it where there should have been a figure's legs,

generally mutilating it. Piero Soderini, Florence's mayor, had contemplated

trying to save die block by commissioning Leonardo da Vinci to work on it,

or some other master, but had given up, since everyone agreed mat die stone

had been ruined. So, despite the money that had been wasted on it, it

gathered dust in the dark halls of the church.

This was where things stood until some Florentine friends of the great

Michelangelo decided to write to the artist, then living in Rome. He alone,

they said, could do sometiiing wim die marble, which was still magnificent

raw material. Michelangelo traveled to Florence, examined die stone, and

came to the conclusion mat he could in fact carve a fine figure from it, by

adapting the pose to the way the rock had been mutilated. Soderini argued

that this was a waste of timenobody could salvage such a disasterbut he

finally agreed to let the artist work on it. Michelangelo decided he would

depict a young David, sling in hand.

Weeks later, as Michelangelo was putting the final touches on the statue,

Soderini entered the studio. Fancying himself a bit of a connoisseur, he

studied the huge work, and told Michelangelo that while he thought it was

magnificent, die nose, he judged, was too big. Michelangelo realized that

Soderini was standing in a place right under the giant figure and did not

have the proper perspective. Without a word, he gestured for Soderini to

follow him up the scaffolding. Reaching the nose, he picked up his chisel,

as well as a bit of marble dust mat lay on the planks. Wim Soderini just a

few feet below him on the scaffolding, Michelangelo started to tap lightly

with the chisel, letting the bits of dust he had gathered in his hand to fall

littie by litde. He actually did nothing to change the nose, but gave every

appearance of working on it. After a few minutes of this charade he stood

aside: “Look at it now.” “I like it better,” replied Soderini, “you've made it

come alive.”

dogs. He offered this man the one hundred gold pieces and said, “Let

me look after the dogs for ten days. ” The huntsman agreed, and for the next

ten days the vizier cared for the beasts with great attention, grooming them

well and feeding them handsomely. By the end of the ten days they were

eating out of his hand.

On the. eleventh day the vizier was called before the sultan, the charges

were repeated, and the sultan watched as the vizier was tied up and thrown

to the dogs. Yet when the beasts saw him, they ran up to him with wagging

tails. They nibbled affectionately at his shoulders and began playing with

him. The sultan and the other witnesses were amazed, and the sultan asked

the vizier why the dogs had spared his life. The vizier replied, 'I have

looked after these dogs for ten days. The sultan has seen the result for

himself. I have looked after you for thirty years, and what is the result I am

condemned to death on the strength of accusations brought by my enemies.

" The sultan blushed with shame. He not only pardoned the vizier but gave

him a fine set of clothes and handed over to him the men who had slandered

his reputation. The noble vizier set them free and continued to treat them

with kindness.

THE .SUBTLE RUSE: THE BOOK OF ARABIC WISDOM AND

(HULK, THIRTEENTH CENTURY

'run works of a.masls

When Apries had been deposed in the way I have described, Amasis

came to the throne. He belonged to the district ofSais and was a native of

the town called Siuph. At first the Egyptians were inclined to be

contemptuous, and did not think much of him because of his humble and

undistinguished origin; but later on he cleverly brought them to heel,

without having recourse to harsh measures. Amongst his innumerable

treasures, he had a gold footbath, which he and his guests used on occasion

to wash their feet in. This he broke up, and with the material had a statue

made to one of the gods, which he then set up in what he thought the most

suitable spot in the city. The Egyptians constantly coming upon the statue,

treated it with profound reverence, and as soon as Amasis heard of the

effect it had upon them, he called a meeting and revealed the fact that the

deeply revered statue was once a footbath, which they washed their feet and

pissed and vomited in. He went on to say that his own case was much the

same, in that once he had been only an ordinary person and was now their

king; so that just as they had come to revere the transformed footbath, so

they had better pay

Interpretation

Michelangelo knew that by changing the shape of the nose he might

ruin the entire sculpture. Yet Soderini was a patron who prided himself on

his aesthetic judgment. To offend such a man by arguing would not only

gain Michelangelo nothing, it would put future commissions in jeopardy.

Michelangelo was too clever to argue. His solution was to change Soderini's

perspective (literally bringing him closer to the nose) without making him

realize that this was the cause of his misperception.

Fortunately for posterity, Michelangelo found a way to keep the

perfection of the statue intact while at the same time making Soderini

believe he had improved it Such is the double power of winning through

actions rather than argument: No one is offended, and your point is proven.

KEYS TO POWER

In the realm of power you must learn to judge your moves by their long-

term effects on other people. The problem in trying to prove a point or gain

a victory through argument is mat in the end you can never be certain how

it affects the people you're arguing with: They may appear to agree with

you politely, but inside they may resent you. Or perhaps something you said

inadvertently even offended themwords have that insidious ability to be

interpreted according to the other person's mood and insecurities. Even the

best argument has no solid foundation, for we have all come to distrust the

slippery nature of words. And days after agreeing with someone, we often

revert to our old opinion out of sheer habit.

Understand this: Words are a dime a dozen. Everyone knows that in the

heat of an argument, we will all say anything to support our cause. We will

quote the Bible, refer to unverifiable statistics. Who can be persuaded by

bags of air like that Action and demonstration are much more powerful and

meaningful. They are there, before our eyes, for us to see“Yes, now the

statue's nose does look just right.” There are no offensive words, no

possibility of misinterpretation. No one can argue with a demonstrated

proof. As Baltasar Gracian remarks, “The truth is generally seen, rarely

heard.”

Sir Christopher Wren was England's version of the Renaissance man.

He had mastered the sciences of mathematics, astronomy, physics, and

physiology. Yet during his extremely long career as England's most

celebrated architect he was often told by his patrons to make impractical

changes in his designs. Never once did he argue or offend. He had other

ways of proving his point.

In 1688 Wren designed a magnificent town hall for the city of

Westminster. The mayor, however, was not satisfied; in fact he was nervous.

He told Wren he was afraid the second floor was not secure, and that it

could all come crashing down on his office on the first floor. He demanded

that Wren add two stone columns for extra support. Wren, the consummate

engineer, knew that these columns would serve no purpose, and that the

mayor's fears were baseless. But build them he did, and the mayor was

grateful. It was only years later that workmen on a high scaffold saw that

the columns stopped just short of the ceiling.

They were dummies. But both men got what they wanted: The mayor

could relax, and Wren knew posterity would understand that his original

design worked and the columns were unnecessary.

The power of demonstrating your idea is that your opponents do not get

defensive, and are therefore more open to persuasion. Making them literally

and physically feel your meaning is infinitely more powerful than

argument.

A heckler once interrupted Nikita Khrushchev in the middle of a speech

in which he was denouncing the crimes of Stalin. “You were a colleague of

Stalin's,” the heckler yelled, “why didn't you stop him then” Khrushschev

apparently could not see the heckler and barked out, “Who said that” No

hand went up. No one moved a muscle. After a few seconds of tense

silence, Khrushchev finally said in a quiet voice, “Now you know why I

didn't stop him.” Instead of just arguing that anyone facing Stalin was

afraid, knowing that the slightest sign of rebellion would mean certain

death, he had made them feel what it was like to face Stalinhad made them

feel the paranoia, the fear of speaking up, the terror of confronting the

leader, in this case Khrushchev. The demonstration was visceral and no

more argument was necessary.

The most powerful persuasion goes beyond action into symbol. The

power of a symbola flag, a mythic story, a monument to some emotional

eventis that everyone understands you without anything being said. In 1975,

when Henry Kissinger was engaged in some frustrating negotiations with

the Israelis over the return of part of the Sinai desert that they had seized in

the 1967 war, he suddenly broke off a tense meeting and decided to do

some sight-seeing. He paid a visit to the ruins of the ancient fortress of

Masada, known to all Israelis as the place where seven hundred Jewish

warriors committed mass suicide in A.D. 73 rather than give in to the

Roman troops besieging them. The Israelis instantly understood the

message of Kissinger's visit: He was indirecdy accusing them of courting

mass suicide. Although the visit did not by itself change their minds, it

made them think far more seriously than any direct warning would have.

Symbols like this one carry great emotional significance.

When aiming for power, or trying to conserve it, always look for the

indirect route. And also choose your batdes carefully. If it does not matter in

the long run whemer the other person agrees with youor if time and their

own experience will make them understand what you meanthen it is best

not even to bother with a demonstration. Save your energy and walk away.

honor and respect to him, too. In this way the Egyptians were persuaded

to accept him as their master.

the histories, Herodotus, fifth century b.c.

COD AND ABRAHAM

The Most High God had promised that He would not take Abraham 's

soul unless the man wanted to die and asked Him to do so. When

Abraham's life was drawing to a close, and God determined to seize him,

He sent an angel in the guise of a decrepit old man who was almost entirely

incapacitated. The old man stopped outside Abraham's door and said to

him, “Oh Abraham, I would like something to eat.” Abraham was amazed

to hear him say this. “Die,” exclaimed Abraham. “It would be better for you

than to go on living in that condition.” Abraham always kept food ready at

his home for passing guests. So he gave the old man a bowl containing

broth and meat with bread crumbs. The old man sat down to eat. He

swallowed laboriously, with great effort, and once when he took some food

it dropped from his hand, scattering on the ground. “Oh Abraham,” he said,

“help me to eat.”Abraham took the food in his hand and lifted it to the

old man's lips. But it slid down his beard and over his chest. “What i.s your

age, old man” asked Abraham. The old man mentioned a number of years

slightly greater than Abraham '.v old age. Then Abraham exclaimed: “Oh

Lord Our God, take me unto You before I reach this man Is age and .sink

into the same condition as he is in now. ” No sooner had Abraham spoken

those words than God took possession of his soul.

THE SUBTLH RUSE:

THE HOOK OK ARABIC

WISDOM AND GUILE,

THIRTEENTH CENTURY

Image: The Seesaw. Up and down and up and down go the arguers,

getting nowhere fast. Get off the seesaw and show them your meaning

without kick ing or pushing. Leave them at the top and let gravity bring

them gently to the ground.

Authority: Never argue. In society nothing must be discussed; give only

results. (Benjamin Disraeli, 1804-1881)

REVERSAL

Verbal argument has one vital use in the realm of power: To distract and

cover your tracks when you are practicing deception or are caught in a lie.

In such cases it is to your advantage to argue with all the conviction you can

muster. Draw the other person into an argument to distract them from your

deceptive move. When caught in a lie, the more emotional and certain you

appear, the less likely it seems that you are lying.

This technique has saved the hide of many a con artist. Once Count

Victor Lustig, swindler par excellence, had sold dozens of suckers around

the country a phony box with which he claimed to be able to copy money.

Discovering their mistake, the suckers generally chose not to go the police,

rather than risk the embarrassment of publicity. But one Sheriff Richards,

LAW 9

of Remsen County, Oklahoma, was not the kind of man to accept being

conned out of $ 10,000, and one morning he tracked Lustig down to a hotel

in Chicago.

Lustig heard a knock on the door. When he opened it he was looking

down the barrel of a gun. “What seems to be the problem” he calmly asked.

“You son of a bitch,” yelled the sheriff, “I'm going to kill you. You conned

me with that damn box of yours!” Lustig feigned confusion. “You mean it's

not working” he asked. “You know it's not working,” replied the sheriff.

“But that's impossible,” said Lustig. “There's no way it couldn't be working.

Did you operate it properly” “I did exactly what you told me to do,” said

the sheriff. “No, you must have done something wrong,” said Lustig. The

argument went in circles. The barrel of the gun was gently lowered.

Lustig next went to phase two in the argument tactic: He poured out a

whole bunch of technical gobbledygook about the box's operation,

completely beguiling the sheriff, who now appeared less sure of himself and

argued less forcefully. “Look,” said Lustig, “I'll give you your money back

right now. I'll also give you written instructions on how to work the

machine and I'll come out to Oklahoma to make sure it's working properly.

There's no way you can lose on that.” The sheriff reluctandy agreed. To

satisfy him totally, Lustig took out a hundred one-hundred-dollar bills and

gave diem to him, telling him to relax and have a fun weekend in Chicago.

Calmer and a littie confused, the sheriff finally left. Over die next few days

Lustig checked the paper every morning. He finally found what he was

looking for: A short article reporting Sheriff Richards's arrest, trial, and

conviction for passing counterfeit notes. Lustig had won the argument; the

sheriff never bodiered him again.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 10

INFECTION: AVOID THE UNHAPPY AND UNLUCKY

JUDGMENT

You can die from someone else's miseryemotional states are as

infectious as diseases. You may feel you are helping the drowning man but

you are only precipitating your own disaster. The unfortunate sometimes

draw misfortune on themselves; they will also draw it on you. Associate

with the happy and fortunate instead.

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

Born in Limerick, Ireland, in 1818, Marie Gilbert came to Paris in the

1840s to make her fortune as a dancer and performer. Taking the name

Lola Montez (her mother was of distant Spanish descent), she claimed

be a flamenco dancer from Spain. By 1845 her career was languishing,

and

to survive she became a courtesanquickly one of the more successful in

Paris.

Only one man could salvage Lola's dancing career: Alexandre Dujarier,

owner of die newspaper with the largest circulation in France, and also the

newspaper's drama critic. She decided to woo and conquer him.

Investigating his habits, she discovered mat he went riding every morning.

An excellent horsewoman herself, she rode out one morning and

“accidentally” ran into him. Soon they were riding together every day. A

few weeks later Lola moved into his apartment.

For a while the two were happy together. With Dujarier's help, Lola

began to revive her dancing career. Despite the risk to his social standing,

Dujarier told friends he would marry her in the spring. (Lola had never told

him mat she had eloped at age nineteen with an Englishman, and was still

legally married.) Although Dujarier was deeply in love, his life started to

slide downhill.

His fortunes in business changed and influential friends began to avoid

him. One night Dujarier was invited to a party, attended by some of the

wealthiest young men in Paris. Lola wanted to go too but he would not

allow it. They had their first quarrel, and Dujarier attended the party by

himself. There, hopelessly drunk, he insulted an influential drama critic,

Jean-Baptiste Rosemond de Beauvallon, perhaps because of something the

critic had said about Lola. The following morning Beauvallon challenged

him to a duel. Beauvallon was one of the best pistol shots in France.

Dujarier tried to apologize, but the duel took place, and he was shot and

killed. Thus ended the life of one of the most promising young men of Paris

society. Devastated, Lola left Paris.

In 1846 Lola Montez found herself in Munich, where she decided to

woo and conquer King Ludwig of Bavaria. The best way to Ludwig, she

discovered, was through his aide-de-camp, Count Otto von Rechberg, a

man with a fondness for pretty girls. One day when the count was

breakfasting at an outdoor cafe, Lola rode by on her horse, was

“accidentally” thrown from the saddle, and landed at Rechberg's feet. The

count rushed to help her and was enchanted. He promised to introduce her

to Ludwig.

Rechberg arranged an audience with die king for Lola, but when she

arrived in the anteroom, she could hear the king saying he was too busy to

meet a favor-seeking stranger. Lola pushed aside the sentries and entered

his room anyway. In the process, die front of her dress somehow got torn

(perhaps by her, perhaps by one of the sentries), and to the astonishment of

all, most especially the king, her bare breasts were brazenly exposed. Lola

was granted her audience widi Ludwig. Fifty-five hours later she made her

debut on the Bavarian stage; the reviews were terrible, but that did not stop

Ludwig from arranging more performances.

A mil found itself carried by a crow to the top of a tall campanile, and

by falling into a crevice succeeded in escaping its dread fate. It then

besought the wall to shelter it, by appealing to it by the grace of God, and

praising its height, and the beauty and noble tone of its bells. “Alas,” it went

on, “as I have not been able to drop beneath the green branches of my old

Father and to lie in the fallow earth covered bv his fallen leaves, do you, at

least, not abandon me. When 1 found myself in the beak of the cruel crow 1

made a vow, that if I escaped I would end my life in a little hole. ” At these

words, the wall, moved with compassion, was content to shelter the nut in

the spot where it had fallen. Within a short time, the nut burst open: Its

roots reached in between the crevices of the stones and began to push them

apart; its-shoots pressed up toward the sky. Thev soon rose above the

building, and as the twisted roots grew thicker they began to thrust the walls

apart and force the ancient stones from their old places. Then the wall, loo

late and in vain, bewailed the cause of its destruction, and in short time it

fell in ruin.

Leonardo da Vinci. 1452-1519

Ill Itis own time Simon Thomas was a great doctor. I remember that I

happened to meet him one day at the home of a rich old consumptive: He

told his patient when discussing ways to cure him that one means was to

provide occasions for me to enjoy his company: He could then fix his eves

on the freshness of my countenance and his thoughts on the overflowing

cheerfulness and vigor of my young manhood; by filling all his senses with

the flower of my youth his condition might improve. He forgot to add that

mine might get worse.

MONTAIGNF,

1533-1592

Many things are said to be infectious. Sleepiness can be infectious, and

yawning as well. In large-scale strategy. when the enemy is agitated and

shows an inclination to rush, do not mind in the least. Make a show of

complete calmness, and the enemy will be taken by this and will become

relaxed. You infect their spirit. You can infect them with a carefree,

drunklike spirit, with boredom, or even weakness.

Ludwig was, in his own words, “bewitched” by Lola. He started to

appear in public with her on his arm, and then he bought and furnished an

apartment for her on one of Munich's most fashionable boulevards.

Although he had been known as a miser, and was not given to flights of

fancy, he started to shower Lola with gifts and to write poetry for her. Now

his favored mistress, she catapulted to fame and fortune overnight.

Lola began to lose her sense of proportion. One day when she was out

riding, an elderly man rode ahead of her, a bit too slowly for her liking.

Unable to pass him, she began to slash him with her riding crop. On another

occasion she took her dog, unleashed, out for a stroll. The dog attacked a

passerby, but instead of helping the man get the dog away, she whipped him

with the leash. Incidents like this infuriated the stolid citizens of Bavaria,

but Ludwig stood by Lola and even had her naturalized as a Bavarian

citizen. The king's entourage tried to wake him to the dangers of the affair,

but those who criticized Lola were summarily fired.

While Bavarians who had loved their king now outwardly disrespected

him, Lola was made a countess, had a new palace built for herself, and

began to dabble in politics, advising Ludwig on policy. She was the most

powerful force in the kingdom. Her influence in the king's cabinet

continued to grow, and she treated the other ministers with disdain. As a

result, riots broke out throughout the realm. A once peaceful land was

virtually in the grip of civil war, and students everywhere were chanting,

“Raus mit Lola!”

By February of 1848, Ludwig was finally unable to withstand the

pressure. With great sadness he ordered Lola to leave Bavaria immediately.

She left, but not until she was paid off. For the next five weeks the

Bavarians' wrath was turned against their formerly beloved king. In March

of that year he was forced to abdicate.

Lola Montez moved to England. More than anything she needed

respectability, and despite being married (she still had not arranged a

divorce from the Englishman she had wed years before), she set her sights

on George Trafford Heald, a promising young army officer who was the son

of an influential barrister. Although he was ten years younger than Lola,

and could have chosen a wife among the prettiest and wealthiest young girls

of English society, Heald fell under her spell. They were married in 1849.

Soon arrested on the charge of bigamy, she skipped bail, and she and Heald

made their way to Spain. They quarreled horribly and on one occasion Lola

slashed him with a knife. Finally, she drove him away. Returning to

England, he found he had lost his position in the army. Ostracized from

English society, he moved to Portugal, where he lived in poverty. After a

few months his short life ended in a boating accident.

A few years later the man who published Lola Montez's autobiography

went bankrupt

In 1853 Lola moved to California, where she met and married a man

named Pat Hull. Their relationship was as stormy as all the others, and she

left Hull for another man. He took to drink and fell into a deep depression

that lasted until he died, four years later, still a relatively young man.

At the age of forty-one, Lola gave away her clothes and finery and

turned to God. She toured America, lecturing on religious topics, dressed in

white and wearing a halolike white headgear. She died two years later, in

1861.

Interpretation

Lola Montez attracted men witii her wiles, but her power over them

went beyond the sexual. It was through the force of her character tiiat she

kept her lovers enthralled. Men were sucked into the maelstrom she

churned up around her. They felt confused, upset, but die strength of the

emotions she stirred also made diem feel more alive.

As is often the case widi infection, die problems would only arise over

time. Lola's inherent instability would begin to get under her lovers' skin.

They would find diemselves drawn into her problems, but dieir emotional

attachment to her would make diem want to help her. This was the crucial

point of die diseasefor Lola Montez could not be helped. Her problems

were too deep. Once die lover identified widi diem, he was lost. He would

find himself embroiled in quarrels. The infection would spread to his family

and friends, or, in die case of Ludwig, to an entire nation. The only solution

would be to cut her off, or suffer an eventual collapse.

The infecting-character type is not restricted to women; it has notiiing to

do with gender. It stems from an inward instability tiiat radiates outward,

drawing disaster upon itself. There is almost a desire to destroy and

unsettle. You could spend a lifetime studying die pathology of infecting

characters, but don't waste your time-just learn die lesson. When you

suspect you are in die presence of an infector, don't argue, don't try to help,

don't pass die person on to your friends, or you will become enmeshed. Flee

die infector's presence or suffer the consequences.

Regard no foolish man as cultured, though you may reckon a gifted man

as wise; and esteem no ignorant abstainer a true ascetic. Do not consort

with fools, especially those who consider themselves wise. And be not self-

satisfied with your own ignorance. Let your intercourse be only with men of

good repute; for it is by such association that men themselves attain to good

repute. Do you not observe how .sesame-oil is mingled with roses or violets

and how, when it has been for some time in association with roses or

violets, it ceases to be sesame-oil and is called oil of roses or oil of violets

a mirror for princks, Kai Ka'us Ibn

Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much. . . .

I do not know the man I should avoid so soon as that spare Cassius. . . .

Such men as he be never at heart's ease whiles they behold a greater

than themselves, and therefore are they very dangerous.

Julius Caesar, William, Shakespeare, 1564-1616

KEYS TO POWER

Those misfortunates among us who have been brought down by

circumstances beyond their control deserve all die help and sympathy we

can give diem. But diere are otiiers who are not born to misfortune or

unhappi-ness, but who draw it upon diemselves by tiieir destructive actions

and un-setding effect on odiers. It would be a great tiling if we could raise

diem up, change tiieir patterns, but more often tiian not it is their patterns

tiiat end up getting inside and changing us. The reason is simplehumans are

extremely susceptible to the moods, emotions, and even the ways of

thinking of tiiose with whom tiiey spend tiieir time.

The incurably unhappy and unstable have a particularly strong infect-

ing power because their characters and emotions are so intense. They

often present themselves as victims, making it difficult, at first, to see their

miseries as self-inflicted. Before you realize the real nature of their

problems you have been infected by them.

Understand this: In the game of power, the people you associate with

are critical. The risk of associating with infectors is that you will waste

valuable time and energy trying to free yourself. Through a kind of guilt by

association, you will also suffer in the eyes of others. Never underestimate

the dangers of infection.

There are many kinds of infector to be aware of, but one of the most

insidious is the sufferer from chronic dissatisfaction. Cassius, the Roman

conspirator against Julius Caesar, had the discontent that comes from deep

envy. He simply could not endure the presence of anyone of greater talent.

Probably because Caesar sensed the man's interminable sourness, he passed

him up for the position of first praetorship, and gave the position to Brutus

instead. Cassius brooded and brooded, his hatred for Caesar becoming

pathological. Brutus himself, a devoted republican, disliked Caesar's

dictatorship; had he had the patience to wait, he would have become the

first man in Rome after Caesar's death, and could have undone the evil that

the leader had wrought. But Cassius infected him with his own rancor,

bending his ear daily with tales of Caesar's evil. He finally won Brutus over

to the conspiracy. It was the beginning of a great tragedy. How many

misfortunes could have been avoided had Brutus learned to fear the power

of infection.

There is only one solution to infection: quarantine. But by the time you

recognize the problem it is often too late. A Lola Montez overwhelms you

with her forceful personality. Cassius intrigues you with his confiding

nature and the depth of his feelings. How can you protect yourself against

such insidious viruses The answer lies in judging people on the effects they

have on the world and not on the reasons they give for their prob-

Image: A Virus. Unseen, it lems. Infectors can be recognized by the

misfortune they draw on them-

enters your pores without selves, their turbulent past, their long line of

broken relationships, their un-

warning, spreading silently and stable careers, and the very force of

their character, which sweeps you up

slowly. Before you are aware of and makes you lose your reason. Be

forewarned by these signs of an infec-

the infection, it is deep inside you. tor; learn to see the discontent in

their eye. Most important of all, do not take pity. Do not enmesh yourself in

trying to help. The infector will remain unchanged, but you will be

unhinged.

The other side of infection is equally valid, and perhaps more readily

understood: There are people who attract happiness to themselves by their

good cheer, natural buoyancy, and intelligence. They are a source of

pleasure, and you must associate with them to share in the prosperity they

draw upon themselves.

This applies to more than good cheer and success: All positive qualities

can infect us. Talleyrand had many strange and intimidating traits, but most

agreed that he surpassed all Frenchmen in graciousness, aristocratic charm,

and wit. Indeed he came from one of the oldest noble families in the

country, and despite his belief in democracy and the French Republic, he

retained his courtly manners. His contemporary Napoleon was in many

ways the oppositea peasant from Corsica, taciturn and ungracious, even

violent.

There was no one Napoleon admired more than Talleyrand. He envied

his minister's way with people, his wit and his ability to charm women, and

as best he could, he kept Talleyrand around him, hoping to soak up the

culture he lacked. There is no doubt that Napoleon changed as his rule

continued. Many of the rough edges were smoothed by his constant

association with Talleyrand.

Use the positive side of this emotional osmosis to advantage. If, for

example, you are miserly by nature, you will never go beyond a certain

limit; only generous souls attain greatness. Associate with the generous,

then, and they will infect you, opening up everything that is tight and

restricted in you. If you are gloomy, gravitate to the cheerful. If you are

prone to isolation, force yourself to befriend the gregarious. Never associate

with those who share your defectsthey will reinforce everything that holds

you back. Only create associations with positive affinities. Make this a rule

of life and you will benefit more than from all the therapy in the world.

Authority: Recognize the fortunate so that you may choose their

company, and the unfortunate so that you may avoid them. Misfortune is

usually the crime of folly, and among those who suffer from it there is no

malady more contagious: Never open your door to the least of misfortunes,

for, if you do, many others will follow in its train.. . . Do not die of another's

misery. (Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)

REVERSAL

This law admits of no reversal. Its application is universal. There is

nothing to be gained by associating with those who infect you with their

misery; there is only power and good fortune to be obtained by associating

with the fortunate. Ignore this law at your peril.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 11

LEARN TO KEEP PEOPLE DEPENDENT ON YOU

JUDGMENT

To maintain your independence you must always be needed and wanted.

The more you are relied on, the more freedom you have. Make people

depend on you for their happiness and prosperity and you have nothing to

fear. Never teach them enough so that they can do without you.

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

Sometime in the Middle Ages, a mercenary soldier (a condottiere) ,

whose name has not been recorded, saved the town of Siena from a foreign

aggressor. How could the good citizens of Siena reward him No amount of

money or honor could possibly compare in value to the preservation of a

city's liberty. The citizens thought of making the mercenary the lord of the

city, but even that, they decided, wasn't recompense enough. At last one of

them stood before the assembly called to debate this matter and said, “Let

us kill him and then worship him as our patron saint.” And so they did.

The Count of Carmagnola was cue of the bravest and most successful of

all the condottieri. In 1442, late in his life, he was in the employ of the city

of Venice, which was in the midst of a long war with Florence. The count

was suddenly recalled to Venice. A favorite of the people, he was received

there with all kinds of honor and splendor. That evening he was to dine with

the doge himself, in the doge's palace. On the way into die palace, however,

he noticed diat die guard was leading him in a different direction from

usual. Crossing the famous Bridge of Sighs, he suddenly realized where

they were taking himto die dungeon. He was convicted on a trumped-up

charge and the next day in the Piazza San Marco, before a horrified crowd

who could not understand how his fate had changed so drastically, he was

beheaded.

Interpretation

Many of the great condottieri of Renaissance Italy suffered die same

fate as the patron saint of Siena and the Count of Carmagnola: They won

batde after battle for their employers only to find themselves banished,

imprisoned, or executed. The problem was not ingratitude; it was diat there

were so many other condottieri as able and valiant as diey were. They were

replaceable. Nodiing was lost by killing diem. Meanwhile, the older among

them had grown powerful themselves, and wanted more and more money

for their services. How much better, then, to do away with them and hire a

younger, cheaper mercenary. That was the fate of the Count of Carmagnola,

who had started to act impudendy and independendy. He had taken his

power for granted widiout making sure that he was truly indispensable.

Such is the fate (to a less violent degree, one hopes) of diose who do not

make otiiers dependent on them. Sooner or later someone comes along who

can do the job as well as they cansomeone younger, fresher, less expensive,

less threatening.

Be die only one who can do what you do, and make the fate of diose

who hire you so entwined with yours that they cannot possibly get rid of

you. Otherwise you will someday be forced to cross your own Bridge of

Sighs.

Two horses were carrying two loads. The [rout Horse went well, but the

rear Horse was lazy. I he men began to pile the rear Horse's load on the

front Horse; when thev had transferred it all. the rear Horse found it easv

going, and he said to the front Horse: “Toil and sweat! The more you trv,

the more von have to suffer. ” When thev reached the tavern, the owner

said; “Whv should I fodder two horses when I carry all on one I had better

give the one all the food it wants, and cut the throat of the other; at least I

shall have the hide. ”And so he ditl.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

When Otto von Bismarck became a deputy in die Prussian parliament in

1847, he was thirty-two years old and without an ally or friend. Looking

INK CAT THAT WALKKI) in 1II \1SI. 1.1

Then the Woman laughed and set the Cat a bowl of the warm while milk

and said, “O Cat, you are as clever as a man, but remember that your

bargain was not made with the Man or the Dog, and I do not know what

they will do when they come home. ” “What is that to me ” said the Cat. “If

I have my place in the Cave by the fire and my warm white milk three times

a day, I do not care what the Man or the Dog can do.” . . . And from that

day to this. Best Beloved, three proper Men out of five will always throw

things at a Cat whenever they meet him, and all proper Dogs will chase him

up a tree. But the Cat keeps his side of the bargain too. He will kill mice,

and he will be kind to Babies when he is in the house, just as long as they

do not pull his tail too hard. But when he has done that, and between times,

and when the moon gets up and the night comes, he is the Cat that walks by

himself, and all places are alike to him. Then he goes out to the Wet Wild

Woods or up the Wet Wild Trees or on the Wet Wild Roofs, waving his wild

tail and walking by his wild lone.

just so stories,

Rudyard Kipling,

1865-1936

around him, he decided that the side to ally himself with was not the

parliament's liberals or conservatives, not any particular minister, and

certainly not the people. It was with the king, Frederick William IV. This

was an odd choice to say the least, for Frederick was at a low point of his

power. A weak, indecisive man, he consistently gave in to the liberals in

parliament; in fact he was spineless, and stood for much that Bismarck

disliked, personally and politically. Yet Bismarck courted Frederick night

and day. When other deputies attacked the king for his many inept moves,

only Bismarck stood by him.

Finally, it all paid off: In 1851 Bismarck was made a minister in the

king's cabinet. Now he went to work. Time and again he forced the king's

hand, getting him to build up the military, to stand up to the liberals, to do

exactly as Bismarck wished. He worked on Frederick's insecurity about his

manliness, challenging him to be firm and to rule with pride. And he slowly

restored the king's powers until die monarchy was once again the most

powerful force in Prussia.

When Frederick died, in 1861, his brother William assumed the throne.

William disliked Bismarck intensely and had no intention of keeping him

around. But he also inherited the same situation his brother had: enemies

galore, who wanted to nibble his power away. He actually considered

abdicating, feeling he lacked the strength to deal with this dangerous and

precarious position. But Bismarck insinuated himself once again. He stood

by the new king, gave him strength, and urged him into firm and decisive

action. The king grew dependent on Bismarck's strong-arm tactics to keep

his enemies at bay, and despite his antipathy toward the man, he soon made

him his prime minister. The two quarreled often over policy Bismarck was

much more conservativebut the king understood his own dependency.

Whenever the prime minister threatened to resign, the king gave in to him,

time after time. It was in fact Bismarck who set state policy.

Years later, Bismarck's actions as Prussia's prime minister led die

various German state" to be united into one country. Now Bismarck

finagled the king into letting himself be crowned emperor of Germany. Yet

it was really Bismarck who had reached the heights of power. As right-hand

man to the emperor, and as imperial chancellor and knighted prince, he

pulled all the levers.

Interpretation

Most young and ambitious politicians looking out on the political

landscape of 1840s Germany would have tried to build a power base among

those with the most power. Bismarck saw different. Joining forces with the

powerful can be foolish: They will swallow you up, just as the doge of

Venice swallowed up the Count of Carmagnola. No one will come to

depend on you if they are already strong. If you are ambitious, it is much

wiser to seek out weak rulers or masters with whom you can create a

relationship of dependency. You become their strength, their intelligence,

their spine. What power you hold! If they got rid of you die whole edifice

would collapse.

Necessity rules the world. People rarely act unless compelled to. If you

create no need for yourself, then you will be done away widi at first

opportunity. If, on the other hand, you understand the Laws of Power and

make others depend on you for their welfare, if you can counteract their

weakness with your own “iron and blood,” in Bismarck's phrase, then you

will survive your masters as Bismarck did. You will have all the benefits of

power without the thorns that come from being a master.

Thus a wise prince will think of ways to keep his citizens of every sort

and under every circumstance dependent on the state and on him;

and then they will always be trustworthy.

Niccolb Machiavelli, 1469-1527

KEYS TO POWER

The ultimate power is the power to get people to do as you wish. When

you can do this without having to force people or hurt them, when they

willingly grant you what you desire, then your power is untouchable. The

best way to achieve this position is to create a relationship of dependence.

The master requires your services; he is weak, or unable to function without

you; you have enmeshed yourself in his work so deeply that doing away

with you would bring him great difficulty, or at least would mean valuable

time lost in training another to replace you. Once such a relationship is

established you have the upper hand, the leverage to make the master do as

you wish. It is the classic case of the man behind the tbrone, the servant of

the king who actually controls the king. Bismarck did not have to bully

either Frederick or William into doing his bidding. He simply made it clear

that unless he got what he wanted he would walk away, leaving the king to

twist in the wind. Both kings soon danced to Bismarck's tune.

Do not be one of the many who mistakenly believe that the ultimate

form of power is independence. Power involves a relationship between

people; you will always need others as allies, pawns, or even as weak

masters who serve as your front. The completely independent man would

live in a cabin in the woodshe would have the freedom to come and go as

he pleased, but he would have no power. The best you can hope for is that

others will grow so dependent on you diat you enjoy a kind of reverse

independence: Their need for you frees you.

Louis XI (1423-1483), the great Spider King of France, had a weakness

for astrology. He kept a court astrologer whom he admired, until one day

the man predicted mat a lady of the court would die within eight days.

When the prophecy came true, Louis was terrified, thinking that either the

man had murdered the woman to prove his accuracy or that he was so

versed in his science that his powers threatened Louis himself. In either

case he had to be killed.

One evening Louis summoned the astrologer to his room, high in the

castle. Before the man arrived, the king told his servants that when he gave

An extravagant young Vine, vainly ambitious of independence, and

fond of rambling at large, despised the alliance of a stately elm that grew

near, and courted her embraces. Having risen to some small height without

any kind of support, she shot forth her flimsy branches to a very uncommon

and superfluous length; calling on her neighbour to take notice how little

she wanted his assistance. “Poor infatuated shrub, ” replied the elm, “how

inconsistent is thy conduct! Wouldst thou be truly independent, thou

shouldst carefully apply those juices to the enlargement of thy stem, which

thou lavishest in vain upon unnecessary foliage. 1 shortly shall behold thee

grovelling on the ground; yet countenanced. indeed, by many of the human

race, who, intoxicated with vanity, have despised economy; and who, to

support for a moment their empty boast of independence, have exhausted

the very source of it in frivolous expenses. ”

FABLES,

Robert Dodslhy,

1703-1764

the signal they were to pick the astrologer up, carry him to the window,

and hurl him to the ground, hundreds of feet below.

The astrologer soon arrived, but before giving the signal, Louis decided

to ask him one last question: “You claim to understand astrology and to

know the fate of others, so tell me what your fate will be and how long you

have to live.”

“I shall die just three days before Your Majesty,” the astrologer replied.

The king's signal was never given. The man's life was spared. The Spider

King not only protected his astrologer for as long as he was alive, he

lavished him with gifts and had him tended by the finest court doctors.

The astrologer survived Louis by several years, disproving his power of

prophecy but proving his mastery of power.

This is the model: Make others dependent on you. To get rid of you

might spell disaster, even death, and your master dares not tempt fate by

finding out. There are many ways to obtain such a position. Foremost

among them is to possess a talent and creative skill that simply cannot be

replaced.

During the Renaissance, the major obstacle to a painter's success was

finding the right patron. Michelangelo did this better man anyone else: His

patron was Pope Julius II. But he and the pope quarreled over the building

of the pope's marble tomb, and Michelangelo left Rome in disgust. To the

amazement of those in the pope's circle, not only did the pope not fire him,

he sought him out and in his own haughty way begged the artist to stay.

Michelangelo, he knew, could find anomer patron, but he could never find

another Michelangelo.

You do not have to have the talent of a Michelangelo; you do have to

have a skill that sets you apart from the crowd. You should create a situation

in which you can always latch on to another master or patron but your

master cannot easily find another servant with your particular talent. And if,

in reality, you are not actually indispensable, you must find a way to make

it look as if you are. Having the appearance of specialized knowledge and

skill gives you leeway in your ability to deceive those above you into

thinking they cannot do without you. Real dependence on your master's

part, however, leaves him more vulnerable to you than the faked variety,

and it is always within your power to make your skill indispensable.

This is what is meant by the intertwining of fates: Like creeping ivy,

you have wrapped yourself around the source of power, so that it would

cause great trauma to cut you away. And you do not necessarily have to

entwine yourself around the master; another person will do, as long as he or

she too is indispensable in the chain.

One day Harry Cohn, president of Columbia Pictures, was visited in his

office by a gloomy group of his executives. It was 1951, when die

witchhunt against Communists in Hollywood, carried on by the U.S.

Congress's House Un-American Activities Committee, was at its height.

The executives had bad news: One of their employees, the screenwriter

John Howard Lawson, had been singled out as a Communist. They had to

get rid of him right away or suffer the wrath of me committee.

Harry Cohn was no bleeding-heart liberal; in fact, he had always been a

die-hard Republican.

His favorite politician was Benito Mussolini, whom he had once visited,

and whose framed photo hung on his wall. If there was someone he hated

Cohn would call him a “Communist bastard.” But to the executives'

amazement Cohn told them he would not fire Lawson. He did not keep the

screenwriter on because he was a good writerthere were many good writers

in Hollywood. He kept him because of a chain of dependence: Lawson was

Humphrey Bogart's writer and Bogart was Columbia's star. If Cohn messed

with Lawson he would ruin an immensely profitable relationship. That was

worth more dian the terrible publicity brought to him by his defiance of the

committee.

Henry Kissinger managed to survive the many bloodlettings that went

on in the Nixon White House not because he was the best diplomat Nixon

could findthere were other fine negotiatorsand not because the two men got

along so well: They did not. Nor did they share their beliefs and politics.

Kissinger survived because he entrenched himself in so many areas of the

political structure drat to do away with him would lead to chaos.

Michelangelo's power was intensive, depending on one skill, his ability as

an artist; Kissinger's was extensive. He got himself involved in so many

aspects and departments of the administration that his involvement became

a card in his hand. It also made him many allies. If you can arrange such a

position for yourself, getting rid of you becomes dangerousall sorts of

interdependencies will unravel. Still, the intensive form of power provides

more freedom tiian the extensive, because those who have it depend on no

particular master, or particular position of power, for their security.

To make others dependent on you, one route to take is the secret-

intelligence tactic. By knowing other people's secrets, by holding

information that they wouldn't want broadcast, you seal your fate with

theirs. You are untouchable. Ministers of secret police have held this

position throughout the ages: They can make or break a king, or, as in the

case of J. Edgar Hoover, a president. But the role is so full of insecurities

and paranoia that the power it provides almost cancels itself out. You cannot

rest at ease, and what good is power if it brings you no peace

One last warning: Do not imagine that your master's dependence on you

will make him love you. In fact, he may resent and fear you. But, as

Machiavelli said, it is better to be feared man loved. Fear you can control;

love, never. Depending on an emotion as subde and changeable as love or

friendship will only make you insecure. Better to have others depend on

you out of fear of the consequences of losing you man out of love of your

company.

Image: Vines with Many Thorns. Below, the roots grow deep and wide.

Above, the vines push through bushes, entwine themselves

around trees and poles and window ledges. To get rid of them would

cost such toil and blood, it is easier to let them climb.

Authority: Make people depend on you. More is to be gained from such

dependence than courtesy. He who has slaked his thirst, immediately turns

his back on the well, no longer needing it. When dependence disappears, so

does civility and decency, and then respect. The first lesson which

experience should teach you is to keep hope alive but never satisfied,

keeping even a royal patron ever in need of you. (Baltasar Gracian, 1601-

1658)

REVERSAL

The weakness of making others depend on you is that you are in some

measure dependent on them. But trying to move beyond that point means

getting rid of those above youit means standing alone, depending on no one.

Such is die monopolistic drive of a J. P. Morgan or a John D. Rockefellerto

drive out all competition, to be in complete control. If you can corner the

market, so much the better.

No such independence comes without a price. You are forced to isolate

yourself. Monopolies often turn inward and destroy themselves from die

internal pressure. They also stir up powerful resentment, making tiieir

enemies bond together to fight them. The drive for complete control is often

ruinous and fruitless. Interdependence remains die law, independence a rare

and often fatal exception. Better to place yourself in a position of mutual

dependence, then, and to follow this critical law ratfier dian look for its

reversal. You will not have die unbearable pressure of being on top, and die

master above you will in essence be your slave, for he will depend on you.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 12

USE SELECTIVE HONESTY AND GENEROSITY TO DISARM

YOUR VICTIM

JUDGMENT

One sincere and honest move will cover over dozens of dishonest ones.

Open-hearted gestures of honesty and generosity bring down the guard of

even the most suspicious people. Once your selective honesty opens a hole

in their armor, you can deceive and manipulate them at will. A timely gifta

Trojan horsewill serve the same purpose.

IKWCKSCO liOKUI. COI lil 1KB CIIAUI.VIW

Francesco Giuseppe Borri of Milan, whose death in 1695 fell just within

the seventeenth century . . . was a forerunner of that special type of

charlatunical adventurer, the courtier or “cavalier” impostor. . . . His real

period of glory began after he moved to Amsterdam. There he assumed the

title of Medico Universale, maintained a great retinue, and drove about in a

coach with six horses.. .. Patients streamed to him, and some invalids had

themselves carried in sedan chairs all the way from Paris to his place in

Amsterdam. Borri took no payment for his consultations: He distributed

great sums among the poor and was never known to receive any money

through the post or bills of exchange. As he continued to live with such

splendor, nevertheless, it was presumed that he possessed the philosophers'

stone. Suddenly this benefactor disappeared from Amsterdam. Then it was

discovered that he had taken with him money and diamonds that had been

placed in his charge.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

Sometime in 1926, a tall, dapperly dressed man paid a visit to Al

Capone, the most feared gangster of his time. Speaking with an elegant

Continental accent, the man introduced himself as Count Victor Lustig. He

promised that if Capone gave him $50,000 he could double it. Capone had

more than enough funds to cover the “investment,” but he wasn't in die

habit of entrusting large sums to total strangers. He looked the count over:

Something about the man was differenthis classy style, his mannerand so

Capone decided to play along. He counted out the bills personally and

handed them to Lustig. “Okay, Count,” said Capone. “Double it in sixty

days like you said.” Lustig left with the money, put it in a safe-deposit box

in Chicago, then headed to New York, where he had several other money-

making schemes in progress.

The $50,000 remained in the bank box untouched. Lustig made no

effort to double it. Two months later he returned to Chicago, took die

money from die box, and paid Capone anodier visit. He looked at the

gangster's stony-faced bodyguards, smiled apologetically, and said, “Please

accept my profound regrets, Mr. Capone. I'm sorry to report that die plan

failed ... I failed.”

Capone slowly stood up. He glowered at Lustig, debating which part of

the river to throw him in. But the count reached into his coat pocket,

withdrew the $50,000, and placed it on the desk. “Here, sir, is your money,

to die penny. Again, my sincere apologies. This is most embarrassing.

Things didn't work out die way I tiiought diey would. I would have loved to

have doubled your money for you and for myselfLord knows I need itbut

die plan just didn't materialize.”

Capone sagged back into his chair, confused. “I know you're a con man,

Count,” said Capone. “I knew it die moment you walked in here. I expected

either one hundred thousand dollars or nodiing. But this .. . getting my

money back . . . well.” “Again my apologies, Mr. Capone,” said Lustig, as

he picked up his hat and began to leave. “My God! You're honest!” yelled

Capone. “If you're on the spot, here's five to help you along.” He counted

out five one-tiiousand-dollar bills out of die $50,000. The count seemed

stunned, bowed deeply, mumbled his tiianks, and left, taking die money.

The $5,000 was what Lustig had been after all along.

Interpretation

Count Victor Lustig, a man who spoke several languages and prided

himself on his refinement and culture, was one of die great con artists of

modern times. He was known for his audacity, his fearlessness, and, most

important, his knowledge of human psychology. He could size up a man in

minutes, discovering his weaknesses, and he had radar for suckers. Lustig

knew tiiat most men build up defenses against crooks and odier

troublemakers. The con artist's job is to bring tiiose defenses down.

One sure way to do diis is tiirough an act of apparent sincerity and

honesty. Who will distrust a person literally caught in die act of being hon-

est Lustig used selective honesty many times, but with Capone he went

a step further. No normal con man would have dared such a con; he would

have chosen his suckers for their meekness, for that look about them that

says they will take their medicine without complaint. Con Capone and you

would spend the rest of your life (whatever remained of it) afraid. But

Lustig understood that a man like Capone spends his life mistrusting others.

No one around him is honest or generous, and being so much in the

company of wolves is exhausting, even depressing. A man like Capone

yearns to be the recipient of an honest or generous gesture, to feel that not

everyone has an angle or is out to rob him.

Lustig's act of selective honesty disarmed Capone because it was so

unexpected. A con artist loves conflicting emotions like these, since the

person caught up in them is so easily distracted and deceived.

Do not shy away from practicing this law on the Capones of the world.

With a well-timed gesture of honesty or generosity, you will have the most

brutal and cynical beast in the kingdom eating out of your hand.

Everything turns gray when I don't have at least one mark on the

horizon.

Life then seems empty and depressing. I cannot understand honest men.

They lead desperate lives, full of boredom.

KEYS TO POWER

The essence of deception is distraction. Distracting the people you want

to deceive gives you the time and space to do something tiiey won't notice.

An act of kindness, generosity, or honesty is often the most powerful form

of distraction because it disarms other people's suspicions. It turns them into

children, eagerly lapping up any kind of affectionate gesture.

In ancient China this was called “giving before you take”the giving

makes it hard for die other person to notice the taking. It is a device with

infinite practical uses. Brazenly taking something from someone is

dangerous, even for the powerful. The victim will plot revenge. It is also

dangerous simply to ask for what you need, no matter how politely: Unless

the other person sees some gain for themselves, they may come to resent

your neediness. Learn to give before you take. It softens the ground, takes

the bite out of a future request, or simply creates a distraction. And the

giving can take many forms: an actual gift, a generous act, a kind favor, an

“honest” admissionwhatever it takes.

Selective honesty is best employed on your first encounter with

someone. We are all creatures of habit, and our first impressions last a long

time. If someone believes you are honest at die start of your relationship it

takes a lot to convince them otherwise. This gives you room to maneuver.

Jay Gould, like Al Capone, was a man who distrusted everyone. By die

time he was thirty-three he was already a multimillionaire, mostly dirough

deception and strong-arming. In the late 1860s, Gould invested heavily in

the Erie Railroad, then discovered tiiat the market had

been flooded with a vast amount of phony stock certificates for the

company. He stood to lose a fortune and to suffer a lot of embarrassment.

In the midst of this crisis, a man named Lord John Gordon-Gordon

offered to help. Gordon-Gordon, a Scottish lord, had apparendy made a

small fortune investing in railroads.

By hiring some handwriting experts "Gordon-Gordon was able to prove

to Gould that the culprits for the phony stock certificates were actually

several top executives with the Erie Railroad itself. Gould was grateful.

Gordon-Gordon then proposed that he and Gould join forces to buy up a

controlling interest in Erie. Gould agreed. For a while the venture appeared

to prosper. The two men were now good friends, and every time Gordon-

Gordon came to Gould asking for money to buy more stock, Gould gave it

to him. In 1873, however, Gordon-Gordon suddenly dumped all of his

stock, making a fortune but drastically lowering the value of Gould's own

holdings. Then he disappeared from sight.

Upon investigation, Gould found out that Gordon-Gordon's real name

was John Crowningsfield, and that he was the bastard son of a merchant

seaman and a London barmaid. There had been many clues before then that

Gordon-Gordon was a con man, but his initial act of honesty and support

had so blinded Gould that it took the loss of millions for him to see through

the scheme.

A single act of honesty is often not enough. What is required is a

reputation for honesty, built on a series of actsbut these can be quite

inconsequential. Once this reputation is established, as with first

impressions, it is hard to shake.

In ancient China, Duke Wu of Cheng decided it was time to take over

the increasingly powerful kingdom of Hu. Telling no one of his plan, he

married his daughter to Hu's ruler. He then called a council and asked his

ministers, “I am considering a military campaign. Which country should we

invade” As he had expected, one of his ministers replied, “Hu should be

invaded.” The duke seemed angry, and said, “Hu is a sister state now. Why

do you suggest invading her” He had the minister executed for his impolitic

remark. The ruler of Hu heard about this, and considering other tokens of

Wu's honesty and the marriage with his daughter, he took no precautions to

defend himself from Cheng. A few weeks later, Cheng forces swept through

Hu and took die country, never to relinquish it.

Honesty is one of the best ways to disarm the wary, but it is not the only

one. Any kind of noble, apparently selfless act will serve. Perhaps the best

such act, though, is one of generosity. Few people can resist a gift, even

from die most hardened enemy, which is why it is often the perfect way to

disarm people. A gift brings out the child in us, instandy lowering our

defenses. Although we often view other people's actions in the most cynical

light, we rarely see the Machiavellian element of a gift, which quite often

hides ulterior motives. A gift is the perfect object in which to hide a

deceptive move.

Over three thousand years ago the ancient Greeks traveled across die

sea to recapture the beautiful Helen, stolen away from them by Paris, and

to destroy Paris's city, Troy. The siege lasted ten years, many heroes

died, yet neither side had come close to victory. One day, the prophet

Calchas assembled the Greeks.

“Stop battering away at these walls!” he told them. "You must find

ruse. We cannot take must find some cunning ning Greek leader with

the idea of building hiding soldiers inside it, Trojans as a gift. Achilles, was

disgusted unmanly. Better for battlefield than to gain But the soldiers, faced

another ten years of death, on the one hand the other, chose the

Image: The Trojan Horse. Your guile is hidden inside a magnificent gift

that proves irresistible to your opponent. The walls open. Once inside,

wreak havoc.

some other way, some Troy by force alone. We stratagem." The cun-

Odysseus fhen came up a giant wooden horse, then offering it to the

Neoptolemus, son of with this idea; it was thousands to die on the victory so

deceitfully. with a choice between manliness, honor, and and a quick

victory on

horse, which was prompdy built. The trick was successful and Troy fell.

One gift did more for the Greek cause than ten years of fighting.

Selective kindness should also be part of your arsenal of deception. For

years the ancient Romans had besieged the city of the Faliscans, always

unsuccessfully. One day, however, when the Roman general Camillus was

encamped outside the city, he suddenly saw a man leading some children

toward him. The man was a Faliscan teacher, and the children, it turned out,

were the sons and daughters of the noblest and wealthiest citizens of the

town. On the pretense of taking these children out for a walk, he had led

them straight to the Romans, offering them as hostages in hopes of

ingratiating himself with Camillus, the city's enemy.

Camillus did not take the children hostage. He stripped the teacher, tied

his hands behind his back, gave each child a rod, and let them whip him all

the way back to the city. The gesture had an immediate effect on the

Faliscans. Had Camillus used die children as hostages, some in the city

would have voted to surrender. And even if the Faliscans had gone on

fighting, their resistance would have been halfhearted. Camillus's refusal to

take advantage of die situation broke down the Faliscans' resistance, and

they surrendered. The general had calculated correcdy. And in any case he

had had nothing to lose: He knew mat the hostage ploy would not have

ended die war, at least not right away. By turning die situation around, he

earned his enemy's trust and respect, disarming them. Selective kindness

will often break down even the most stubborn foe: Aiming right for the

heart, it corrodes the will to fight back.

Remember: By playing on people's emotions, calculated acts of

kindness can turn a Capone into a gullible child. As with any emotional

approach, the tactic must be practiced with caution: If people see through it,

their disappointed feelings of gratitude and warmth will become the most

violent hatred and distrust. Unless you can make the gesture seem sincere

and heartfelt, do not play with fire.

Authority: When Duke Hsien of Chin was about to raid Yii, he

presented to them a jade and a team of horses. When Earl Chih was about to

raid Ch'ou-yu, he presented to them grand chariots. Hence the saying:

“When you are about to take, you should give.” (Han-fei-tzu, Chinese

philosopher, third century B.C.)

REVERSAL

When you have a history of deceit behind you, no amount of honesty,

generosity, or kindness will fool people. In fact it will only call attention to

itself. Once people have come to see you as deceitful, to act honest all of a

sudden is simply suspicious. In these cases it is better to play the rogue.

Count Lustig, pulling the biggest con of his career, was about to sell the

Eiffel Tower to an unsuspecting industrialist who believed the government

was auctioning it off for scrap metal. The industrialist was prepared to hand

over a huge sum of money to Lustig, who had successfully impersonated a

government official. At the last minute, however, the mark was suspicious.

Something about Lustig bothered him. At die meeting in which he was to

hand over the money, Lustig sensed his sudden distrust.

Leaning over to fhe industrialist, Lustig explained, in a low whisper,

how low his salary was, how difficult his finances were, on and on. After a

few minutes of this, the industrialist realized that Lustig was asking for a

bribe. For the first time he relaxed. Now he knew he could trust Lustig:

Since all government officials were dishonest, Lustig had to be real. The

man forked over the money. By acting dishonest, Lustig seemed the real

McCoy. In this case selective honesty would have had the opposite effect.

As the French diplomat Talleyrand grew older, his reputation as a

master liar and deceiver spread. At the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815), he

would spin fabulous stories and make impossible remarks to people who

knew he had to be lying. His dishonesty had no purpose except to cloak the

moments when he really was deceiving them. One day, for example, among

friends, Talleyrand said with apparent sincerity, “In business one ought to

show one's hand.” No one who heard him could believe their ears: A man

who never once in his life had shown his cards was telling other people to

show theirs. Tactics like this made it impossible to distinguish Talleyrand's

real deceptions from his fake ones. By embracing his reputation for

dishonesty, he preserved his ability to deceive.

Nothing in the realm of power is set in stone. Overt deceptiveness will

sometimes cover your tracks, even making you admired for the honesty of

your dishonesty.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 13

WHEN ASKING FOR HELP,

APPEAL TO PEOPLE'S

SELF-INTEREST,

NEVER TO THEIR MERCY

OR GRATITUDE

JUDGMENT

If you need to turn to an ally for help, do not bother to remind him of

your past assistance and good deeds. He will find a way to ignore you.

Instead, uncover something in your request, or in your alliance with him,

that will benefit him, and emphasize it out of all proportion. He will

respond enthusiastically when he sees something to be gained for himself

A peasant had in his garden an apple-tree, which bore no fruit, but only

served as a perch for the sparrows and grasshoppers. He resolved to cut it

down, and, taking his ax in hand, made a bold stroke at its roots. The

grasshoppers and sparrows entreated him not to cut down the tree that

sheltered them, but to spare it, and they would sing to him and lighten his

labors. He paid no attention to their request, but gave the tree a second and

a third blow with his ax. When he reached the hollow of the tree, he found a

hive full of honey. Having tasted the honeycomb, he threw down his ax,

and, looking on the tree as sacred, took great care of it. Self-interest alone

moves some men.

FABLES,

Aesop, sixth century b.c.

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

In the early fourteendi century, a young man named Castruccio

Castracani rose from the rank of common soldier to become lord of the

great city of Lucca, Italy. One of the most powerful families in the city, the

Poggios, had been instrumental in his climb (which succeeded through

treachery and bloodshed), but after he came to power, they came to feel he

had forgotten them. His ambition outweighed any gratitude he felt. In 1325,

while Castruccio was away fighting Lucca's main rival, Florence, the

Poggios conspired with other noble families in the city to rid themselves of

this troublesome and ambitious prince.

Mounting an insurrection, the plotters attacked and murdered the

governor whom Castruccio had left behind to rule the city. Riots broke out,

and the Castruccio supporters and the Poggio supporters were poised to do

battle. At die height of the tension, however, Stefano di Poggio, the oldest

member of the family, intervened, and made both sides lay down their arms.

A peaceful man, Stefano had not taken part in the conspiracy. He had

told his family it would end in a useless bloodbath. Now he insisted he

should intercede on the family's behalf and persuade Castruccio to listen to

their complaints and satisfy their demands. Stefano was the oldest and

wisest member of the clan, and his family agreed to put their trust in his

diplomacy rather man in their weapons.

When news of the rebellion reached Castruccio, he hurried back to

Lucca. By the time he arrived, however, the fighting had ceased, through

Stefano's agency, and he was surprised by the city's calm and peace. Stefano

di Poggio had imagined that Castruccio would be grateful to him for his

part in quelling die rebellion, so he paid die prince a visit. He explained

how he had brought peace, then begged for Castruccio's mercy. He said mat

die rebels in his family were young and impetuous, hungry for power yet

inexperienced; he recalled his family's past generosity to Castruccio. For all

tiiese reasons, he said, the great prince should pardon the Poggios and listen

to their complaints. This, he said, was the only just thing to do, since the

family had willingly laid down their arms and had always supported him.

Castruccio listened patiendy. He seemed not the slightest bit angry or

resentful. Instead, he told Stefano to rest assured that justice would prevail,

and he asked him to bring his entire family to die palace to talk over their

grievances and come to an agreement. As diey took leave of one another,

Castruccio said he thanked God for the chance he had been given to show

his clemency and kindness. That evening die entire Poggio family came to

die palace. Castruccio immediately had them imprisoned and a few days

later all were executed, including Stefano.

Interpretation

Stefano di Poggio is die embodiment of all those who believe that the

justice and nobility of dieir cause will prevail. Certainly appeals to justice

and gratitude have occasionally succeeded in the past, but more often than

not

they have had dire consequences, especially in dealings with the

Castruc-cios of the world. Stefano knew that the prince had risen to power

through treachery and ruthlessness. This was a man, after all, who had put a

close and devoted friend to death. When Castruccio was told that it had

been a terrible wrong to kill such an old friend, he replied that he had

executed not an old friend but a new enemy.

A man like Castruccio knows only force and self-interest. When the

rebellion began, to end it and place oneself at his mercy was the most

dangerous possible move. Even once Stefano di Poggio had made that fatal

mistake, however, he still had options: He could have offered money to

Castruccio, could have made promises for the future, could have pointed

out what the Poggios could still contribute to Castruccio's powertheir

influence with the most influential families of Rome, for example, and die

great marriage they could have brokered.

Instead Stefano brought up the past, and debts that carried no obligation.

Not only is a man not obliged to be grateful, gratitude is often a terrible

burden that he gladly discards. And in this case Castruccio rid himself of

his obligations to the Poggios by eliminating the Poggios.

Most men are so thoroughly subjective that nothing really interests them

but themselves. They always think of their own case as soon as ever any

remark is made, and their whole attention is engrossed and absorbed by the

merest chance reference to anything which affects them personally, be it

never so remote.

Arthur

Schopenhauer,

1788-1860

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

In 433 B.C., just before the Peloponnesian War, the island of Corcyra

(later called Corfu) and the Greek city-state of Corinth stood on the brink of

conflict. Both parties sent ambassadors to Athens to try to win over the

Athenians to their side. The stakes were high, since whoever had Athens on

his side was sure to win. And whoever won the war would certainly give

the defeated side no mercy.

Corcyra spoke first. Its ambassador began by admitting that the island

had never helped Athens before, and in fact had allied itself with Athens's

enemies. There were no ties of friendship or gratitude between Corcyra and

Athens. Yes, the ambassador admitted, he had come to Athens now out of

fear and concern for Corcyra's safety. The only thing he could offer was an

alliance of mutual interests. Corcyra had a navy only surpassed in size and

strengdi by Athens's own; an alliance between the two states would create a

formidable force, one that could intimidate the rival state of Sparta. That,

unfortunately, was all Corcyra had to offer.

The representative from Corinth then gave a brilliant, passionate speech,

in sharp contrast to the dry, colorless approach of the Corcyran. He talked

of everything Corinth had done for Athens in die past. He asked how it

would look to Athens's other allies if the city put an agreement with a

former enemy over one with a present friend, one that had served Athens's

interest loyally: Perhaps those allies would break their agreements with

Athens if tiiey saw that their loyalty was not valued. He referred to Hellenic

law, and the need to repay Corinth for all its good deeds. He finally went on

to list the many services Corinth had performed for Athens, and the

importance of showing gratitude to one's friends.

After the speech, the Athenians debated the issue in an assembly. On

the second round, they voted overwhelmingly to ally with Corcyra and

drop Corinth.

Interpretation

History has remembered the Atiienians nobly, but they were the

preeminent realists of classical Greece. With them, all the rhetoric, all the

emotional appeals in the world, could not match a good pragmatic

argument, especially one that added to their power.

What the Corinthian ambassador did not realize was that his references

to Corinth's past generosity to Athens only irritated the Athenians, subdy

asking them to feel guilty and putting them under obligation. The Athenians

couldn't care less about past favors and friendly feelings. At the same time,

they knew that if their other allies thought them ungrateful for abandoning

Corinth, these city-states would still be unlikely to break their ties to

Athens, the preeminent power in Greece. Atiiens ruled its empire by force,

and would simply compel any rebellious ally to return to the fold.

When people choose between talk about the past and talk about the

future, a pragmatic person will always opt for the future and forget the past.

As die Corcyrans realized, it is always best to speak pragmatically to a

pragmatic person. And in the end, most people are in fact pragmaticthey

will rarely act against their own self-interest.

It has always been a rule that the weak should be subject to the strong;

and besides, we consider that we are worthy of our power. Up till the

present moment you, too, used to think that we were; but now, after

calculating your own interest, you are beginning to talk in terms of right

and wrong. Considerations of this kind have never yet turned people

aside

from the opportunities of aggrandizement offered by superior strength.

Athenian representative to Sparta,

quoted in The Peloponnesian War, Thucydide.s, c. 465-395 B.C.

KEYS TO POWER

In your quest for power, you will constantiy find yourself in the position

of asking for help from those more powerful than you. There is an art to

asking for help, an art that depends on your ability to understand the person

you are dealing with, and to not confuse your needs with theirs.

Most people never succeed at this, because they are completely trapped

in their own wants and desires. They start from the assumption that the

people they are appealing to have a selfless interest in helping them. They

talk as if their needs mattered to these peoplewho probably couldn't care

less. Sometimes they refer to larger issues: a great cause, or grand emotions

such as love and gratitude. They go for the big picture when simple,

everyday realities would have much more appeal. What they do not realize

is that even the most powerful person is locked inside needs of his own, and

that if you make no appeal to his self-interest, he merely sees you as

desperate or, at best, a waste of time.

In die sixteendi century, Portuguese missionaries tried for years to

convert the people of Japan to Catholicism, while at the same time Portugal

had a monopoly on trade between Japan and Europe. Although the

missionaries did have some success, they never got far among the ruling

elite; by the beginning of the seventeenth century, in fact, tiieir

proselytizing had completely antagonized the Japanese emperor Ieyasu.

When the Dutch began to arrive in Japan in great numbers, Ieyasu was

much relieved. He needed Europeans for their know-how in guns and

navigation, and here at last were Europeans who cared nothing for

spreading religiondie Dutch wanted only to trade. Ieyasu swifdy moved to

evict die Portuguese. From then on, he would only deal with the practical-

minded Dutch.

Japan and Holland were vasdy different cultures, but each shared a

timeless and universal concern: self-interest. Every person you deal with is

like anotiier culture, an alien land with a past tiiat has nothing to do witii

yours. Yet you can bypass die differences between you and him by

appealing to his self-interest. Do not be subde: You have valuable

knowledge to share, you will fill his coffers with gold, you will make him

live longer and happier. This is a language mat all of us speak and

understand.

A key step in die process is to understand die other person's psychology.

Is he vain Is he concerned about his reputation or his social standing Does

he have enemies you could help him vanquish Is he simply motivated by

money and power

When die Mongols invaded China in the twelfth century, they threat-

ened to obliterate a culture that had thrived for over two thousand years.

Their leader, Genghis Khan, saw nothing in China but a country tiiat lacked

pasturing for his horses, and he decided to destroy die place, leveling all its

cities, for “it would be better to exterminate the Chinese and let the grass

grow.” It was not a soldier, a general, or a king who saved die Chinese from

devastation, but a man named Yelu Ch'u-Ts'ai. A foreigner himself, Ch'u-

Ts'ai had come to appreciate die superiority of Chinese culture. He managed

to make himself a trusted adviser to Genghis Khan, and persuaded him that

he would reap riches out of the place if, instead of destroying it, he simply

taxed everyone who lived tiiere. Khan saw the wisdom in diis and did as

Ch'u-Ts'ai advised.

When Khan took the city of Kaifeng, after a long siege, and decided to

massacre its inhabitants (as he had in otiier cities diat had resisted him),

Ch'u-Ts'ai told him tiiat the finest craftsmen and engineers in China had fled

to Kaifeng, and it would be better to put them to use. Kaifeng was spared.

Never before had Genghis Khan shown such mercy, but then it really wasn't

mercy tiiat saved Kaifeng. Ch'u-Ts'ai knew Khan well. He was a barbaric

peasant who cared nothing for culture, or indeed for anytiiing otiier than

warfare and practical results. Ch'u-Ts'ai chose to appeal to the only emotion

that would work on such a man: greed.

Self-interest is the lever tiiat will move people. Once you make them

see how you can in some way meet their needs or advance their cause, their

resistance to your requests for help will magically fall away. At each step

on die way to acquiring power, you must train yourself to tiiink your

way inside the other person's mind, to see their needs and interests, to

get rid of the screen of your own feelings that obscure the truth. Master tiiis

art and there will be no limits to what you can accomplish.

Image: A Cord that Binds. The cord of mercy and gratitude is

threadbare, and will break at the first shock. Do not throw such a lifeline.

The cord of mutual self-interest is woven of many fibers and cannot easily

be severed. It will serve you well for years.

Authority: The shortest and best way to make your fortune is to let

people see clearly that it is in their interests to promote yours. (Jean de La

Bruyere, 1645-1696)

REVERSAL

Some people will see an appeal to their self-interest as ugly and ignoble.

They actually prefer to be able to exercise charity, mercy, and justice, which

are their ways of feeling superior to you: When you beg them for help, you

emphasize their power and position. They are strong enough to need

nothing from you except the chance to feel superior. This is the wine that

intoxicates them. They are dying to fund your project, to introduce you to

powerful peopleprovided, of course, that all this is done in public, and for a

good cause (usually the more public, the better). Not everyone, then, can be

approached through cynical self-interest. Some people will be put off by it,

because they don't want to seem to be motivated by such things. They need

opportunities to display their good heart.

Do not be shy. Give them that opportunity. It's not as if you are conning

them by asking for helpit is really their pleasure to give, and to be seen

giving. You must distinguish the differences among powerful people and

figure out what makes them tick. When they ooze greed, do not appeal to

meir charity. When they want to look charitable and noble, do not appeal to

their greed.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 14

POSE AS A FRIEND, WORK AS A SPY

JUDGMENT

Knowing about your rival is critical. Use spies to gather valuable

information that will keep you a step ahead. Better still: Play the spy

yourself. In polite social encounters, learn to probe. Ask indirect questions

to get people to reveal their weaknesses and intentions. There is no occasion

that is not an opportunity for artful spying.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

Joseph Duveen was undoubtedly the greatest art dealer of his timefrom

1904 to 1940 he almost single-handedly monopolized America's millionaire

art-collecting market. But one prize plum eluded him: the industrialist

Andrew Mellon. Before he died, Duveen was determined to make Mellon a

client.

Duveen's friends said this was an impossible dream. Mellon was a stiff,

taciturn man. The stories he had heard about the congenial, talkative

Duveen rubbed him die wrong wayhe had made it clear he had no desire to

meet the man. Yet Duveen told his doubting friends, “Not only will Mellon

buy from me but he will buy only from me.” For several years he tracked

his prey, learning the man's habits, tastes, phobias. To do this, he secredy

put several of Mellon's staff on his own payroll, worming valuable

information out of them. By the time he moved into action, he knew Mellon

about as well as Mellon's wife did.

In 1921 Mellon was visiting London, and staying in a palatial suite on

the third floor of Claridge's Hotel. Duveen booked himself into the suite just

below Mellon's, on the second floor. He had arranged for his valet to

befriend Mellon's valet, and on the fateful day he had chosen to make his

move, Mellon's valet told Duveen's valet, who told Duveen, that he had just

helped Mellon on with his overcoat, and that the industrialist was making

his way down the corridor to ring for the lift.

Duveen's valet hurriedly helped Duveen witii his own overcoat.

Seconds later, Duveen entered the lift, and lo and behold, there was Mellon.

“How do you do, Mr. Mellon” said Duveen, introducing himself. “I am on

my way to die National Gallery to look at some pictures.” How uncanny

diat was precisely where Mellon was headed. And so Duveen was able to

accompany his prey to the one location that would ensure his success. He

knew Mellon's taste inside and out, and while the two men wandered

through the museum, he dazzled the magnate with his knowledge. Once

again quite uncannily, they seemed to have remarkably similar tastes.

Mellon was pleasantiy surprised: This was not the Duveen he had

expected. The man was charming and agreeable, and clearly had exquisite

taste. When they returned to New York, Mellon visited Duveen's exclusive

gallery and fell in love with the collection. Everything, surprisingly enough,

seemed to be precisely the kind of work he wanted to collect. For the rest of

his life he was Duveen's best and most generous client.

Interpretation

A man as ambitious and competitive as Joseph Duveen left nothing to

chance. What's the point of winging it, of just hoping you may be able to

charm this or that client It's like shooting ducks blindfolded. Arm yourself

with a litde knowledge and your aim improves.

Mellon was the most spectacular of Duveen's catches, but he spied on

many a millionaire. By secredy putting members of his clients' household

staffs on his own payroll, he would gain constant access to valuable infor-

mation about dieir masters' comings and goings, changes in taste, and

other such tidbits of information that would put him a step ahead. A rival of

Duveen's who wanted to make Henry Frick a client noticed that whenever

he visited this wealthy New Yorker, Duveen was there before him, as if he

had a sixth sense. To otiier dealers Duveen seemed to be everywhere, and to

know everything before they did. His powers discouraged and disheartened

them, until many simply gave up going after the wealthy clients who could

make a dealer rich.

Such is the power of artful spying: It makes you seem all-powerful,

clairvoyant. Your knowledge of your mark can also make you seem

charming, so well can you anticipate his desires. No one sees the source of

your power, and what they cannot see they cannot fight.

Rulers see through spies, as cows through smell, Brahmins through

scriptures and the rest oj the people through their normal eyes.

Knutilya, Indian philosopher, third century B.C.

KEYS TO POWER

In the realm of power, your goal is a degree of control over future

events. Part of die problem you face, then, is that people won't tell you all

their thoughts, emotions, and plans. Controlling what they say, they often

keep the most critical parts of their character hiddentheir weaknesses,

ulterior motives, obsessions. The result is that you cannot predict their

moves, and are constandy in the dark. The trick is to find a way to probe

them, to find out their secrets and hidden intentions, without letting them

know what you are up to.

This is not as difficult as you might think. A friendly front will let you

secredy gather information on friends and enemies alike. Let odiers consult

the horoscope, or read tarot cards: You have more concrete means of seeing

into the future.

The most common way of spying is to use other people, as Duveen did.

The method is simple, powerful, but risky: You will certainly gamer

information, but you have litde control over the people who are doing die

work. Perhaps diey will inepdy reveal your spying, or even secretly turn

against you. It is far better to be die spy yourself, to pose as a friend while

secredy gathering information.

The French politician Talleyrand was one of the greatest practitioners of

diis art. He had an uncanny ability to worm secrets out of people in polite

conversation. A contemporary of his, Baron de Vitrolles, wrote, “Wit and

grace marked his conversation. He possessed die art of concealing his

thoughts or his malice beneath a transparent veil of insinuations, words diat

imply something more than they express. Only when necessary did he inject

his own personality.” The key here is Talleyrand's ability to suppress

himself in the conversation, to make odiers talk endlessly about diemselves

and inadvertendy reveal dieir intentions and plans.

If you have reason to suspect that a person is telling you a lie, look as

though you believed every word he said. This will give him courage to go

on; he will become more vehement in his assertions, and in the end betray

himself. Again, if you perceive that a person is trying to conceal something

from you, but with only partial success, look as though you did not believe

him. The opposition on your part will provoke him into leading out his

reserve of truth and bringing the whole force of it to bear upon your

incredulity.

Arthur

1788-1860

Throughout Talleyrand's life, people said he was a superb

conversationalistyet he actually said very httle. He never talked about his

own ideas; he got others to reveal theirs. He would organize friendly games

of charades for foreign diplomats, social gatherings where, however, he

would carefully weigh their words, cajole confidences out of them, and

gather information invaluable to his work as France's foreign minister. At

die Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) he did his spying in other ways: He

would blurt out what seemed to be a secret (actually something he had

made up), dien watch his listeners' reactions. He might tell a gathering of

diplomats, for instance, mat a reliable source had revealed to him mat the

czar of Russia was planning to arrest his top general for treason. By

watching the diplomats' reactions to this made-up story, he would know

which ones were most excited by the weakening of the Russian

armyperhaps their goverments had designs on Russia As Baron von Stetten

said, “Monsieur Talleyrand fires a pistol into the air to see who will jump

out the window.”

During social gamerings and innocuous encounters, pay attention. This

is when people's guards are down. By suppressing your own personality,

you can make them reveal things. The brilliance of the maneuver is that

they will mistake your interest in them for friendship, so that you not only

learn, you make allies.

Nevertheless, you should practice this tactic with caution and care. If

people begin to suspect you are worming secrets out of them under the

cover of conversation, they will stricdy avoid you. Emphasize friendly

chatter, not valuable information. Your search for gems of information

cannot be too obvious, or your probing questions will reveal more about

yourself and your intentions than about the information you hope to find.

A trick to try in spying comes from La Rochefoucauld, who wrote,

“Sincerity is found in very few men, and is often the cleverest of ruses one

is sincere in order to draw out the confidence and secrets of the other.” By

pretending to bare your heart to another person, in other words, you make

mem more likely to reveal their own secrets. Give them a false confession

and they will give you a real one. Another trick was identified by the

philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, who suggested vehemendy contradicting

people you're in conversation with as a way of irritating mem, stirring them

up so that mey lose some of the control over dieir words. In their emotional

reaction they will reveal all kinds of truths about themselves, truths you can

later use against them.

Another method of indirect spying is to test people, to lay litde traps

that make them reveal things about themselves. Chosroes II, a notoriously

clever seventh-century king of the Persians, had many ways of seeing

through his subjects without raising suspicion. If he noticed, for instance,

mat two of his courtiers had become particularly friendly, he would call one

of them aside and say he had information that the other was a traitor, and

would soon be killed. The king would tell the courtier he trusted him more

tiian anyone, and that he must keep this information secret. Then he

would watch the two men carefully. If he saw that the second courtier

had not changed in his behavior toward the king, he would conclude that

the first courtier had kept the secret, and he would quickly promote the

man, later taking him aside to confess, “I meant to kill your friend because

of certain information that had reached me, but, when I investigated the

matter, I found it was untrue.” If, on the odier hand, the second courtier

started to avoid the king, acting aloof and tense, Chosroes would know that

the secret had been revealed. He would ban the second courtier from his

court, letting him know that the whole business had only been a test, but

that even though the man had done nothing wrong, he could no longer trust

him. The first courtier, however, had revealed a secret, and him Chosroes

would ban from his entire kingdom.

It may seem an odd form of spying that reveals not empirical

information but a person's character. Often, however, it is the best way of

solving problems before they arise.

By tempting people into certain acts, you learn about their loyalty, their

honesty, and so on. And this kind of knowledge is often the most valuable

of all: Armed with it, you can predict their actions in the future.

Image:

The Third Eye of

the Spy. In the land of

the two-eyed, the third eye

gives you the omniscience

of a god. You see further than

others, and you see deeper

into them. Nobody is

safe from the eye

but you.

Authority: Now, the reason a brilliant sovereign and a wise general

conquer the enemy whenever they move, and their achievements surpass

those of ordinary men, is their foreknowledge of the enemy situation. This

“foreknowledge” cannot be elicited from spirits, nor from gods, nor by

analogy with past events, nor by astrologic calculations. It must be obtained

from men who know the enemy situationfrom spies. (Sun-tzu, The Art of

War, fourth century B.C.)

REVERSAL

Information is critical to power, but just as you spy on other people, you

must be prepared for them to spy on you. One of the most potent weapons

in the batde for information, dien, is giving out false information. As

Winston Churchill said, “Truth is so precious mat she should always be

attended by a bodyguard of lies.” You must surround yourself with such a

bodyguard, so that your truth cannot be penetrated. By planting the

information of your choice, you control the game.

In 1944 the Nazis' rocket-bomb attacks on London suddenly escalated.

Over two diousand V-l flying bombs fell on the city, killing more than five

thousand people and wounding many more. Somehow, however, the

Germans consistendy missed their targets. Bombs that were intended for

Tower Bridge, or Piccadilly, would fall well short of the city, landing in die

less populated suburbs. This was because, in fixing tfieir targets, the

Germans relied on secret agents they had planted in England. They did not

know that these agents had been discovered, and that in their place,

English-controlled agents were feeding them subdy deceptive information.

The bombs would hit farther and farther from their targets every time

they fell. By the end of the campaign they were landing on cows in the

country. By feeding people wrong information, then, you gain a potent

advantage. While spying gives you a third eye, disinformation puts out one

of your enemy's eyes. A cyclops, he always misses his target.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 15

CRUSH YOUR ENEMY TOTALLY

JUDGMENT

All great leaders since Moses have known that a feared enemy must be

crushed completely. (Sometimes they have learned this the hard way.) If

one ember is left alight, no matter how dimly it smolders, afire will

eventually break out. More is lost through stopping halfway than through

total annihilation: The enemy will recover, and will seek revenge. Crush

him, not only in body but in spirit.

The remnants of an enemy can become active like those of a disease or

fire. Hence, these should be exterminated completely.... One should never

ignore an enemy, knowing him to be weak. He becomes dangerous in due

course, like the spark of fire in a haystack.

Kautilya,

Indian philosopher,

third c'kntury b.c.

tiik thai' at si\k;a

On the day Ramiro was executed, Cesare I Borgia) quit Cesena, leaving

the mutilated body on the town square, and marched south. Three days later

he arrived at Fano, where he received the envoys of the city of Ancona,

who assured him of their loyalty. A messenger from Vitellozzo Vitelli

announced that the little A driatic port of Sinigaglia had surrendered to the

condottieri [mercenary soldiers]. Only the citadel, in charge of the Genoese

Andrea Doria, still held out, and Doria refused to hand it over to anyone

except Cesare himself. [Borgia] sent word that he would arrive the next day,

which was just what the

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

No rivalry between leaders is more celebrated in Chinese history than

the struggle between Hsiang Yu and Liu Pang. These two generals began

their careers as friends, fighting on the same side. Hsiang Yu came from the

nobility; large and powerful, given to bouts of violence and temper, a bit

dull-witted, he was yet a mighty warrior who always fought at the head of

his troops. Liu Pang came from peasant stock. He had never been much of a

soldier, and preferred women and wine to fighting; in fact, he was

something of a scoundrel. But he was wily, and he had the ability to

recognize the best strategists, keep them as his advisers, and listen to their

advice. He had risen in the army through these strengths.

In 208 B.C., the king of Ch'u sent two massive armies to conquer the

powerful kingdom of Ch'in. One army went north, under the generalship of

Sung Yi, with Hsiang Yu second in command; the other, led by Liu Pang,

headed straight toward Ch'in. The target was the kingdom's splendid capital,

Hsien-yang. And Hsiang Yu, ever violent and impatient, could not stand the

idea that Liu Pang would get to Hsien-yang first, and perhaps would assume

command of the entire army.

At one point on the northern front, Hsiang's commander, Sung Yi,

hesitated in sending his troops into batde. Furious, Hsiang entered Sung Yi's

tent, proclaimed him a traitor, cut off his head, and assumed sole command

of the army. Without waiting for orders, he left the northern front and

marched direcdy on Hsien-yang. He felt certain he was the better soldier

and general than Liu, but, to his utter astonishment, his rival, leading a

smaller, swifter army, managed to reach Hsien-yang first. Hsiang had an

adviser, Fan Tseng, who warned him, “This village headman [Liu Pang]

used to be greedy only for riches and women, but since entering the capital

he has not been led astray by wealth, wine, or sex. That shows he is aiming

high.”

Fan Tseng urged Hsiang to kill his rival before it was too late. He told

the general to invite the wily peasant to a banquet at their camp outside

Hsien-yang, and, in the midst of a celebratory sword dance, to have his

head cut off. The invitation was sent; Liu fell for the trap, and came to the

banquet. But Hsiang hesitated in ordering the sword dance, and by the time

he gave the signal, Liu had sensed a trap, and managed to escape. “Bah!”

cried Fan Tseng in disgust, seeing that Hsiang had botched the plot. “One

cannot plan with a simpleton. Liu Pang will steal your empire yet and make

us all his prisoners.”

Realizing his mistake, Hsiang hurriedly marched on Hsien-yang, this

time determined to hack off his rival's head. Liu was never one to fight

when the odds were against him, and he abandoned the city. Hsiang

captured Hsien-yang, murdered the young prince of Ch'in, and burned the

city to the ground. Liu was now Hsiang's bitter enemy, and he pursued him

for many months, finally cornering him in a walled city. Lacking food, his

army in disarray, Liu sued for peace.

Again Fan Tseng warned Hsiang, "Crush him now! If you let him go

again, you will be sorry later.“ But Hsiang decided to be merciful. He

wanted to bring Liu back to Ch'u alive, and to force his former friend to

acknowledge him as master. But Fan proved right: Liu managed to use the

negotiations for his surrender as a distraction, and he escaped with a small

army. Hsiang, amazed that he had yet again let his rival slip away, once

more set out after Liu, this time with such ferocity diat he seemed to have

lost his mind. At one point, having captured Liu's father in battle, Hsiang

stood the old man up during the fighting and yelled to Liu across the line of

troops, ”Surrender now, or I shall boil your father alive!“ Liu calmly

answered, ”But we are sworn brothers. So my father is your father also. If

you insist on boiling your own father, send me a bowl of the soup!" Hsiang

backed down, and the struggle continued.

A few weeks later, in the thick of the hunt, Hsiang scattered his forces

unwisely, and in a surprise attack Liu was able to surround his main

garrison. For the first time the tables were turned. Now it was Hsiang who

sued for peace. Liu's top adviser urged him to destroy Hsiang, crush his

army, show no mercy. “To let him go would be like rearing a tigerit will

devour you later,” the adviser said. Liu agreed.

Making a false treaty, he lured Hsiang into relaxing his defense, then

slaughtered almost all of his army. Hsiang managed to escape. Alone and

on foot, knowing mat Liu had put a bounty on his head, he came upon a

small group of his own retreating soldiers, and cried out, “I hear Liu Pang

has offered one thousand pieces of gold and a fief of ten thousand families

for my head. Let me do you a favor.” Then he slit his own throat and died.

Interpretation

Hsiang Yu had proven his ruthlessness on many an occasion. He rarely

hesitated in doing away witii a rival if it served his purposes. But with Liu

Pang he acted differently. He respected his rival, and did not want to defeat

him through deception; he wanted to prove his superiority on the battlefield,

even to force the clever Liu to surrender and to serve him. Every time he

had his rival in his hands, something made him hesitatea fatal sympathy

with or respect for the man who, after all, had once been a friend and

comrade in arms. But the moment Hsiang made it clear that he intended to

do away with Liu, yet failed to accomplish it, he sealed his own doom. Liu

would not suffer the same hesitation once the tables were turned.

This is the fate that faces all of us when we sympathize with our

enemies, when pity, or the hope of reconciliation, makes us pull back from

doing away with them. We only strengthen their fear and hatred of us. We

have beaten them, and they are humiliated; yet we nurture these resentful

vipers who will one day kill us. Power cannot be dealt with this way. It

must be exterminated, crushed, and denied the chance to return to haunt us.

This is all the truer with a former friend who has become an enemy. The

law governing fatal antagonisms reads: Reconcihation is out of die

question. Only one side can win, and it must win totally.

Liu Pang learned this lesson well. After defeating Hsiang Yu, this son

condottieri wanted to hear. Once he reached Sinigagliu, Ccsare would

be an easy prey, caught between the citadel and their forces ringing the

town.... The condottieri were sure they had military superiority, believing

that the departure of the French troops had left Cesare with only a small

force. In fact, according to Machiavelli, [Borgia] had left Cesena with ten

thousand infantrymen and three thousand horse, taking pains to split up his

men so that they would march along parallel routes before converging on

Sinigaglia. The reason for such a large force was that he knew, from a

confession extracted from Ramiro de Lorca, what the condottieri had up

their sleeve. He therefore decided to turn their own trap against them. This

was the masterpiece of trickery that the historian Paolo Giovio later called

“the magnificent deceit.” At dawn on December 3111502], Cesare reached

the outskirts of Sinigaglia.... Led by Michelotto Corella, Cesare's advance

guard of two hundred lances took up its position on the canal bridge.... This

control of the bridge effectively prevented the conspira-tors' troops from

withdrawing. . . . Cesare greeted the condottieri effusively and invited them

to join him.... Michelotto

had prepared the

Palazzo Bernardino

for Cesare's use, and

the duke invited the

condottieri inside....

Once indoors the men

were quietlv arrested

by guards who crept up

from the rear.. . .

jCesare/ gave orders

for an attack on

Vitelli's and Orsini's

soldiers in the outlying

areas.... That night,

while their troops were

being crushed, Miche-

lotto throttled Olive-

retto and Vitelli in the

Bernardino palace. . . .

A t one fell swoop,

IBorgiaj had got rid of

his former generals and

worst enemies.

thh boroias,

Ivan Cloui.as,

To have ultimate

victory, you must be

ruthless.

Napolkon Bonaparte. 1769-L821

of a farmer went on to become supreme commander of the armies of

Ch'u. Crushing his next rivalthe king of Ch'u, his own former leaderhe

crowned himself emperor, defeated everyone in his path, and went down in

history as one of the greatest rulers of China, the immortal Han Kao-tsu,

founder of the Han Dynasty.

Those who seek to achieve things should show no mercy.

Kautilya, Indian philosopher, third century B.C.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

Wu Chao, born in A.D. 625, was the daughter of a duke, and as a

beautiful young woman of many charms, she was accordingly attached to

the harem of Emperor T'ai Tsung.

The imperial harem was a dangerous place, full of young concubines

vying to become the emperor's favorite. Wu's beauty and forceful character

quickly won her this battle, but, knowing that an emperor, like other

powerful men, is a creature of whim, and that she could easily be replaced,

she kept her eye on the future.

Wu managed to seduce the emperor's dissolute son, Kao Tsung, on the

only possible occasion when she could find him alone: while he was

relieving himself at the royal urinal. Even so, when the emperor died and

Kao Tsung took over the throne, she still suffered the fate to which all

wives and concubines of a deceased emperor were bound by tradition and

law: Her head shaven, she entered a convent, for what was supposed to be

the rest of her life. For seven years Wu schemed to escape. By

communicating in secret with the new emperor, and by befriending his wife,

the empress, she managed to get a highly unusual royal edict allowing her

to return to the palace and to the royal harem. Once there, she fawned on

the empress, while still sleeping with the emperor. The empress did not

discourage thisshe had yet to provide the emperor with an heir, her position

was vulnerable, and Wu was a valuable ally.

In 654 Wu Chao gave birth to a child. One day the empress came to

visit, and as soon as she had left, Wu smothered the newbornher own baby.

When the murder was discovered, suspicion immediately fell on the

empress, who had been on the scene moments earlier, and whose jealous

nature was known by all. This was precisely Wu's plan. Shortly thereafter,

the empress was charged with murder and executed. Wu Chao was crowned

empress in her place. Her new husband, addicted to his life of pleasure,

gladly gave up the reins of government to Wu Chao, who was from then on

known as Empress Wu.

Although now in a position of great power, Wu hardly felt secure. There

were enemies everywhere; she could not let down her guard for one

moment. Indeed, when she was forty-one, she began to fear that her

beautiful young niece was becoming the emperor's favorite. She poisoned

the woman with a clay mixed into her food. In 675 her own son, touted as

the

heir apparent, was poisoned as well. The next-eldest sonillegitimate, but

now the crown princewas exiled a little later on trumped-up charges. And

when the emperor died, in 683, Wu managed to have the son after that

declared unfit for the throne. All this meant that it was her youngest, most

ineffectual son who finally became emperor. In this way she continued to

rule.

Over the next five years there were innumerable palace coups. All of

them failed, and all of the conspirators were executed. By 688 mere was no

one left to challenge Wu. She proclaimed herself a divine descendant of

Buddha, and in 690 her wishes were finally granted: She was named Holy

and Divine “Emperor” of China.

Wu became emperor because there was literally nobody left from the

previous T'ang dynasty. And so she ruled unchallenged, for over a decade

of relative peace. In 705, at the age of eighty, she was forced to abdicate.

Interpretation

All who knew Empress Wu remarked on her energy and intelligence. At

the time, there was no glory available for an ambitious woman beyond a

few years in the imperial harem, then a lifetime walled up in a convent. In

Wu's gradual but remarkable rise to the top, she was never naive. She knew

that any hesitation, any momentary weakness, would spell her end. If, every

time she got rid of a rival a new one appeared, the solution was simple: She

had to crush them all or be killed herself. Other emperors before her had

followed the same path to the top, but Wuwho, as a woman, had next to no

chance to gain powerhad to be more ruthless still.

Empress Wu's forty-year reign was one of the longest in Chinese

history. Although the story of her bloody rise to power is well known, in

China she is considered one of the period's most able and effective rulers.

A priest asked the dying Spanish statesman and general Ramon Maria

Narvdez

(1800-1868), “Does your Excellency forgive all your enemies ” “I do

not have to forgive my enemies, ” answered Narvdez, “J have had them all

shot. ”

KEYS TO POWER

It is no accident that die two stories illustrating this law come from

China: Chinese history abounds with examples of enemies who were left

alive and returned to haunt the lenient. “Crush the enemy” is a key strategic

tenet of Sun-tzu, the fourth-century-B.C. author of The Art of War. The idea

is simple: Your enemies wish you ill. There is nothing they want more than

to eliminate you. If, in your struggles with them, you stop halfway or even

three quarters of the way, out of mercy or hope of reconciliation, you only

make them more determined, more embittered, and tiiey will someday take

revenge. They may act friendly for the time being, but this is only because

you have defeated them. They have no choice but to bide their time.

The solution: Have no mercy. Crush your enemies as totally as they

would crush you. Ultimately the only peace and security you can hope

for from your enemies is their disappearance.

Mao Tse-tung, a devoted reader of Sun-tzu and of Chinese history

generally, knew the importance of this law. In 1934 the Communist leader

and some 75,000 poorly equipped soldiers fled into the desolate mountains

of western China to escape Chiang Kai-shek's much larger army, in what

has since been called the Long March.

Chiang was determined to eliminate every last Communist, and by a

few years later Mao had less than 10,000 soldiers left. By 1937, in fact,

when China was invaded by Japan, Chiang calculated that the Communists

were no longer a threat. He chose to give up the chase and concentrate on

the Japanese. Ten years later the Communists had recovered enough to rout

Chiang's army. Chiang had forgotten the ancient wisdom of crushing the

enemy; Mao had not. Chiang was pursued until he and his entire army fled

to the island of Taiwan. Nothing remains of his regime in mainland China to

this day.

The wisdom behind “crushing the enemy” is as ancient as the Bible: Its

first practitioner may have been Moses, who learned it from God Himself,

when He parted the Red Sea for the Jews, then let the water flow back over

the pursuing Egyptians so that “not so much as one of them remained.”

When Moses returned from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments and

found his people worshipping the Golden Calf, he had every last offender

slaughtered. And just before he died, he told his followers, finally about to

enter the Promised Land, that when they had defeated the tribes of Canaan

they should “utterly destroy them . . . make no covenant with them, and

show no mercy to them.”

The goal of total victory is an axiom of modern warfare, and was

codified as such by Carl von Clausewitz, the premier philosopher of war.

Analyzing the campaigns of Napoleon, von Clausewitz wrote, “We do

claim that direct annihilation of the enemy's forces must always be the

dominant consideration.... Once a major victory is achieved there must be

no talk of rest, of breathing space . . . but only of the pursuit, going for the

enemy again, seizing his capital, attacking his reserves and anything else

that might give his country aid and comfort.” The reason for this is that

after war come negotiation and the division of territory. If you have only

won a partial victory, you will inevitably lose in negotiation what you have

gained by war.

The solution is simple: Allow your enemies no options. Annihilate them

and their territory is yours to carve. The goal of power is to control your

enemies completely, to make them obey your will. You cannot afford to go

halfway. If they have no options, they will be forced to do your bidding.

This law has applications far beyond the battlefield. Negotiation is the

insidious viper that will eat away at your victory, so give your enemies

nothing to negotiate, no hope, no room to maneuver. They are crushed and

that is that.

Realize this: In your struggle for power you will stir up rivalries and

create enemies. There will be people you cannot win over, who will

remain your enemies no matter what. But whatever wound you inflicted on

them, deliberately or not, do not take their hatred personally. Just recognize

that there is no possibility of peace between you, especially as long as you

stay in power. If you let them stick around, they will seek revenge, as

certainly as night follows day. To wait for diem to show their cards is just

silly; as Empress Wu understood, by then it will be too late.

Be realistic: With an enemy like this around, you will never be secure.

Remember the lessons of history, and the wisdom of Moses and Mao:

Never go halfway.

It is not, of course, a question of murder, it is a question of banishment.

Sufficiently weakened and then exiled from your court forever, your

enemies are rendered harmless. They have no hope of recovering,

insinuating themselves and hurting you. And if they cannot be banished, at

least understand that they are plotting against you, and pay no heed to

whatever friendliness they feign. Your only weapon in such a situation is

your own wariness. If you cannot banish them immediately, then plot for

the best time to act.

Image: A Viper crushed beneadi your foot but left alive, will rear up and

bite you with a double dose of venom. An enemy that is left around is like a

half-dead viper that you nurse back to health. Time makes the venom grow

stronger.

Authority: For it must be noted, that men must either be caressed or else

annihilated; they will revenge themselves for small injuries, but cannot do

so for great ones; the injury therefore that we do to a man must be such that

we need not fear his vengeance. (Niccolo Machiavelli, 1469-1527)

REVERSAL

This law should very rarely be ignored, but it does sometimes happen

that it is better to let your enemies destroy themselves, if such a thing is

possible, than to make them suffer by your hand. In warfare, for example, a

good general knows that if he attacks an army when it is cornered, its

soldiers will fight much more fiercely. It is sometimes better, then, to leave

them an escape route, a way out. As they retreat, they wear themselves out,

and are ultimately more demoralized by the retreat than by any defeat he

might inflict on the battlefield. When you have someone on the ropes,

thenbut only when you are sure they have no chance of recoveryyou might

let them hang themselves. Let them be the agents of their own destruction.

The result will be the same, and you won't feel half as bad.

Finally, sometimes by crushing an enemy, you embitter them so much

that they spend years and years plotting revenge. The Treaty of Versailles

had such an effect on the Germans. Some would argue that in the long run it

would be better to show some leniency. The problem is, your leniency

involves another riskit may embolden the enemy, which still harbors a

grudge, but now has some room to operate. It is almost always wiser to

crush your enemy. If tfiey plot revenge years later, do not let your guard

down, but simply crush them again.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 16

USE ABSENCE TO

INCREASE RESPECT

AND HONOR

JUDGMENT

Too much circulation makes the price go down: The more you are seen

and heard from, the more common you appear. If you are already

established in a group, temporary withdrawal from it will make you more

talked about, even more admired. You must learn when to leave. Create

value through scarcity.

The first man who saw a camel fled; The second ventured within

distance; The third dared slip a halter round its head. Familiarity in this

existence Makes all things tame, for what may seem Terrible or bizarre,

when once our eyes Have had time to acclimatize, Becomes quite

commonplace. Since I'm on this theme, I've heard of sentinels posted by the

shore Who, spotting something far-away afloat, Couldn 't resist the shout:

“A sail! A sail! A mighty man-of-war!” Five minutes later it's a packet boat,

And then a skiff, and then a bale, And finally some sticks bobbing about. I

know of plenty such To whom this story applies People whom distance

magnifies, Who, close to, don 7 amount to much.

SELECTED IABLHS,

JhAN nv. La Fontaine. 1621-1695

TRANSGRESSION AND OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW Sir

Guillaume de Balaun was a troubadour who roamed the South of France in

the Middle Ages, going from castle to castle, reciting poetry, and playing

the perfect knight. At the castle of Javiac he met and fell in love with the

beautiful lady of the house, Madame Guillelma de Javiac. He sang her his

songs, recited his poetry, played chess with her, and little by little she in

turn fell in love with him. Guillaume had a friend, Sir Pierre de Bar-jac,

who traveled with him and who was also received at the casde. And Pierre

too fell in love with a lady in Javiac, the gracious but temperamental

Viernetta.

Then one day Pierre and Viernetta had a violent quarrel. The lady

dismissed him, and he sought out his friend Guillaume to help heal the

breach and get him back in her good graces. Guillaume was about to leave

the castle for a while, but on his return, several weeks later, he worked his

magic, and Pierre and the lady were reconciled. Pierre felt that his love had

increased tenfoldthat there was no stronger love, in fact, than the love that

follows reconciliation. The stronger and longer the disagreement, he told

Guillaume, the sweeter the feeling that comes with peace and

rapprochement.

As a troubadour, Sir Guillaume prided himself on experiencing all the

joys and sorrows of love. On hearing his friend's talk, he too wanted know

the bliss of reconciliation after a quarrel. He therefore feigned great anger

with Lady Guillelma, stopped sending her love letters, and abruptly left the

casde and stayed away, even during the festivals and hunts. This drove the

young lady wild.

Guillelma sent messengers to Guillaume to find out what had happened,

but he turned the messengers away. He thought all this would make her

angry, forcing him to plead for reconciliation as Pierre had. Instead,

however, his absence had the opposite effect: It made Guillelma love him

all the more. Now the lady pursued her knight, sending messengers and

love notes of her own. This was almost unheard ofa lady never pursued her

troubadour. And Guillaume did not like it. Guillelma's forwardness made

him feel she had lost some of her dignity. Not only was he no longer sure of

his plan, he was no longer sure of his lady.

Finally, after several months of not hearing from Guillaume, Guillelma

gave up. She sent him no more messengers, and he began to wonderperhaps

she was angry Perhaps the plan had worked after all So much the better if

she was. He would wait no moreit was time to reconcile. So he put on his

best robe, decked the horse in its fanciest caparison, chose a magnificent

helmet, and rode off to Javiac.

On hearing that her beloved had returned, Guillelma rushed to see him,

knelt before him, dropped her veil to kiss him, and begged forgiveness for

whatever slight had caused his anger. Imagine his confusion and despairhis

plan had failed abysmally. She was not angry, she had never been angry, she

was only deeper in love, and he would never experience the joy of

reconciliation after a quarrel. Seeing her now, and still desperate

to taste that joy, he decided to try one more time: He drove her away

with harsh words and threatening gestures. She left, this time vowing never

to see him again.

The next morning the troubadour regretted what he had done. He rode

back to Javiac, but the lady would not receive him, and ordered her servants

to chase him away, across the drawbridge and over the hill. Guil-laume fled.

Back in his chamber he collapsed and started to cry: He had made a terrible

mistake. Over the next year, unable to see his lady, he experienced the

absence, the terrible absence, that can only inflame love. He wrote one of

his most beautiful poems, “My song ascends for mercy praying.” And he

sent many letters to Guillelma, explaining what he had done, and begging

forgiveness.

After a great deal of this, Lady Guillelma, remembering his beautiful

songs, his handsome figure, and his skills in dancing and falconry, found

herself yearning to have him back. As penance for his cruelty, she ordered

him to remove the nail from the little finger of his right hand, and to send it

to her along with a poem describing his miseries.

He did as she asked. Finally Guillaume de Balaun was able to taste the

ultimate sensationa reconciliation even surpassing that of his friend Pierre.

Interpretation

Trying to discover the joys of reconciliation, Guillaume de Balaun

inadvertently experienced the truth of the law of absence and presence. At

the start of an affair, you need to heighten your presence in the eyes of the

other. If you absent yourself too early, you may be forgotten. But once your

lover's emotions are engaged, and the feeling of love has crystallized,

absence inflames and excites. Giving no reason for your absence excites

even more: The other person assumes he or she is at fault. While you are

away, die lover's imagination takes flight, and a stimulated imagination

cannot help but make love grow stronger. Conversely, the more Guillelma

pursued Guillaume, the less he loved hershe had become too present, too

accessible, leaving no room for his imagination and fancy, so that his

feelings were suffocating. When she finally stopped sending messengers, he

was able to breathe again, and to return to his plan.

What witiidraws, what becomes scarce, suddenly seems to deserve our

respect and honor. What stays too long, inundating us with its presence,

makes us disdain it. In the Middle Ages, ladies were constantiy putting their

knights through trials of love, sending them on some long and arduous

questall to create a pattern of absence and presence. Indeed, had Guillaume

not left his lady in the first place, she might have been forced to send him

away, creating an absence of her own.

Absence diminishes minor passions and inflames great ones, as the

wind douses a candle and fans afire.

La Rochefoucauld, 1613-1680

While serving under the Duke Ai of Lit, Tien Jao, resenting his obscure

position, said to his master, “I am going to wander far away like a snow

goose. ”

“What do you mean by thai ” inquired the Duke.

“Do you see the cock ” said T'ien Jao in reply. “Its crest is a symbol of

civility; its powerful talons suggest strength; its daring to fight any enemy

denotes courage; its instinct to invite others whenever food is obtained

shows benevolence; and, last but not least, its punctuality in keeping the

time through the night gives us an example of veracity. In spite, however, of

these five virtues, the cock is daily killed to fill a dish on your table. Why

The reason is that it is found within our reach. On the other hand, the snow

goose traverses in one flight a thousand li. Resting in your garden, it preys

on your fishes and turtles and pecks your millet. Though devoid of any of

the cock's five virtues, yet you prize this bird for the sake of its scarcity.

This being so, I shall fly far like a snow goose. ”

ANCIFNT CHINESE PARABLES,

Yu Hsiu Sen, eix, 1974

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

For many centuries the Assyrians ruled upper Asia widi an iron fist. In

the eighth century B.C., however, the people of Medea (now northwestern

Iran) revolted against them, and finally broke free. Now the Medes had to

establish a new government. Determined to avoid any form of despotism,

they refused to give ultimate power to any one man, or to establish a

monarchy. Without a leader, however, the country soon fell into chaos, and

fractured into small kingdoms, with village fighting against village.

In one such village lived a man named Deioces, who began to make a

name for himself for fair dealing and the ability to settle disputes.

He did this so successfully, in fact, that soon any legal conflict in the

area was brought to him, and his power increased. Throughout the land, the

law had fallen into disreputethe judges were corrupt, and no one entrusted

their cases to the courts any more, resorting to violence instead. When news

spread of Deioces' wisdom, incorruptibility, and unshakable impartiality,

Medean villages far and wide turned to him to settle all manner of cases.

Soon he became the sole arbiter of justice in the land.

At the height of his power, Deioces suddenly decided he had had

enough. He would no longer sit in the chair of judgment, would hear no

more suits, setde no more disputes between brother and brother, village and

village. Complaining that he was spending so much time dealing with other

people's problems that he had neglected his own affairs, he retired. The

country once again descended into chaos. With the sudden withdrawal of a

powerful arbiter like Deioces, crime increased, and contempt for the law

was never greater. The Medes held a meeting of all the villages to decide

how to get out of their predicament. “We cannot continue to live in this

country under these conditions,” said one tribal leader. “Let us appoint one

of our number to rule so that we can live under orderly government, rather

man losing our homes altogedier in the present chaos.”

And so, despite all that the Medes had suffered under the Assyrian

despotism, they decided to set up a monarchy and name a king. And the

man they most wanted to rule, of course, was the fair-minded Deioces. He

was hard to convince, for he wanted nothing more to do with the villages'

infighting and bickering, but the Medes begged and pleadedwithout him die

country had descended into a state of lawlessness. Deioces finally agreed.

Yet he also imposed conditions. An enormous palace was to be

constructed for him, he was to be provided with bodyguards, and a capital

city was to be built from which he could rule. All of this was done, and

Deioces settled into his palace. In the center of the capital, the palace was

surrounded by walls, and completely inaccessible to ordinary people.

Deioces then established the terms of his rule: Admission to his presence

was forbidden. Communication with the king was only possible through

messengers. No one in the royal court could see him more than once a

week, and then only by permission.

Deioces ruled for fifty-three years, extended the Medean empire, and

established die foundation for what would later be the Persian empire,

under his great-great-grandson Cyrus. During Deioces' reign, the people's

respect for him gradually turned into a form of worship: He was not a

mere mortal, they believed, but the son of a god.

Interpretation

Deioces was a man of great ambition. He determined early on that the

country needed a strong ruler, and that he was die man for the job.

In a land plagued with anarchy, the most powerful man is the judge and

arbiter. So Deioces began his career by making his reputation as a man of

impeccable fairness.

At the height of his power as a judge, however, Deioces realized die

truth of the law of absence and presence: By serving so many clients, he

had become too noticeable, too available, and had lost die respect he had

earlier enjoyed. People were taking his services for granted. The only way

to regain the veneration and power he wanted was to witiidraw completely,

and let die Medes taste what life was like widiout him. As he expected, diey

came begging for him to rule.

Once Deioces had discovered the truth of this law, he carried it to its

ultimate realization. In the palace his people had built for him, none could

see him except a few courtiers, and those only rarely. As Herodotus wrote,

“There was a risk that if they saw him habitually, it might lead to jealousy

and resentment, and plots would follow; but if nobody saw him, the legend

would grow that he was a being of a different order from mere men.”

A man said to a Dervish: “Why do I not see you more often ” The

Dervish

replied, "Because the words 'Why have you not been to see me' are

sweeter to my ear than the words 'Why have you come again'"

Mulla Jami, quoted in Idries Shah's Caravan of Dreams, 1968

KEYS TO POWER

Everything in the world depends on absence and presence. A strong

presence will draw power and attention to youyou shine more brighdy man

those around you. But a point is inevitably reached where too much

presence creates me opposite effect: The more you are seen and heard from,

die more your value degrades. You become a habit. No matter how hard you

try to be different, subdy, without your knowing why, people respect you

less and less. At the right moment you must learn to witiidraw yourself

before diey unconsciously push you away. It is a game of hide-and-seek.

The truth of this law can most easily be appreciated in matters of love

and seduction. In the beginning stages of an affair, the lover's absence

stimulates your imagination, forming a sort of aura around him or her. But

mis aura fades when you know too muchwhen your imagination no longer

has room to roam. The loved one becomes a person like anyone else, a

person whose presence is taken for granted. This is why the seventeenth-

century French courtesan Ninon de Lenclos advised constant feints at

withdrawal from one's lover. “Love never dies of starvation,” she wrote,

“but often of indigestion.”

The moment you allow yourself to be treated like anyone else, it is too

lateyou are swallowed and digested. To prevent this you need to starve the

other person of your presence. Force their respect by threatening them with

the possibility that they will lose you for good; create a pattern of presence

and absence.

Once you die, everything about you will seem different You will be

surrounded by an instant aura of respect. People will remember their

criticisms of you, their arguments with you, and will be filled with regret

and guilt. They are missing a presence mat will never return. But you do not

have to wait until you die: By completely withdrawing for a while, you

create a kind of death before death. And when you come back, it will be as

if you had come back from the deadan air of resurrection will cling to you,

and people will be relieved at your return. This is how Deioces made

himself king.

Napoleon was recognizing the law of absence and presence when he

said, “If I am often seen at the theater, people will cease to notice me.”

Today, in a world inundated with presence through the flood of images, the

game of withdrawal is all the more powerful. We rarely know when to

witiidraw anymore, and nothing seems private, so we are awed by anyone

who is able to disappear by choice. Novelists J. D. Salinger and Thomas

Pynchon have created cultlike followings by knowing when to disappear.

Another, more everyday side of this law, but one that demonstrates its

truth even further, is the law of scarcity in the science of economics. By

withdrawing something from the market, you create instant value. In

seventeenth-century Holland, the upper classes wanted to make die tulip

more than just a beautiful flowerthey wanted it to be a kind of status

symbol. Making the flower scarce, indeed almost impossible to obtain, they

sparked what was later called tulipomania. A single flower was now worth

more than its weight in gold. In our own century, similarly, the art dealer

Joseph Duveen insisted on making the paintings he sold as scarce and rare

as possible. To keep their prices elevated and their status high, he bought up

whole collections and stored them in his basement. The paintings that he

sold became more than just paintings!they were fetish objects, their value

increased by their rarity. “You can get all the pictures you want at fifty

thousand dollars apiecethat's easy,” he once said. “But to get pictures at a

quarter of a million apiecethat wants doing!”

Image:

The Sun. It can only be

appreciated by its absence.

The longer the days of rain, the

more the sun is craved. But too many

hot days and the sun overwhelms.

Learn to keep yourself obscure and

make people demand your return.

Extend the law of scarcity to your own skills. Make what you are

offering the world rare and hard to find, and you instandy increase its value.

There always comes a moment when those in power overstay their

welcome. We have grown tired of them, lost respect for them; we see them

as no different from the rest of mankind, which is to say that we see them as

rather worse, since we inevitably compare their current status in our eyes to

their former one. There is an art to knowing when to retire. If it is done

right, you regain the respect you had lost, and retain a part of your power.

The greatest ruler of the sixteenth century was Charles V. King of Spain,

Hapsburg emperor, he governed an empire tiiat at one point included much

of Europe and the New World. Yet at the height of his power, in 1557, he

retired to die monastery of Yuste. All of Europe was captivated by his

sudden wididrawal; people who had hated and feared him suddenly called

him great, and he came to be seen as a saint. In more recent times, die film

actress Greta Garbo was never more admired dian when she retired, in

1941. For some her absence came too soonshe was in her mid-thirtiesbut

she wisely preferred to leave on her own terms, rather dian waiting for her

audience to grow tired of her.

Make yourself too available and die aura of power you have created

around yourself will wear away. Turn the game around: Make yourself less

accessible and you increase die value of your presence.

Authority. Use absence to create respect and esteem. If presence

diminishes fame, absence augments it. A man who when absent is regarded

as a lion becomes when present something common and ridiculous. Talents

lose their luster if we become too familiar with them, for the outer shell of

the mind is more readily seen than its rich inner kernel. Even the

outstanding genius makes use of retirement so that men may honor him and

so that the yearning aroused by his absence may cause him to be esteemed.

(Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)

REVERSAL

This law only applies once a certain level of power has been attained.

The need to withdraw only comes after you have established your presence;

leave too early and you do not increase your respect, you are simply

forgotten. When you are first entering onto the world's stage, create an

image that is recognizable, reproducible, and is seen everywhere. Until that

status is attained, absence is dangerousinstead of fanning the flames, it will

extinguish them.

In love and seduction, similarly, absence is only effective once you have

surrounded the other with your image, been seen by him or her everywhere.

Everything must remind your lover of your presence, so that when you do

choose to be away, the lover will always be thinking of you, will always be

seeing you in his or her mind's eye.

Remember: In the beginning, make yourself not scarce but omnipresent.

Only what is seen, appreciated, and loved will be missed in its absence.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 17

KEEP OTHERS IN

SUSPENDED TERROR:

CULTIVATE AN AIR OF

UNPREDICTABILITY

JUDGMENT

Humans are creatures of habit with an insatiable need to see familiarity

in other people's actions. Your predictability gives them a sense of control.

Turn the tables: Be deliberately unpredictable. Behavior that seems to have

no consistency or purpose will keep them off-balance, and they will wear

themselves out trying to explain your moves. Taken to an extreme, this

strategy can intimidate and terrorize.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

In May of 1972, chess champion Boris Spassky anxiously awaited his

rival Bobby Fischer in Reykjavik, Iceland. The two men had been

scheduled to meet for the World Championship of Chess, but Fischer had

not arrived on time and the match was on hold. Fischer had problems with

the size of the prize money, problems with the way the money was to be

distributed, problems with the logistics of holding the match in Iceland. He

might back out at any moment.

Spassky tried to be patient. His Russian bosses felt that Fischer was

humiliating him and told him to walk away, but Spassky wanted this match.

He knew he could destroy Fischer, and nothing was going to spoil die

greatest victory of his career. “So it seems that all our work may come to

nothing,” Spassky told a comrade. “But what can we do It is Bobby's move.

If he comes, we play. If he does not come; we do not play. A man who is

willing to commit suicide has the initiative.”

Fischer finally arrived in Reykjavik, but the problems, and the threat of

cancellation, continued. He disliked the hall where the match was to be

fought, he criticized the lighting, he complained about die noise of the

cameras, he even hated the chairs in which he and Spassky were to sit. Now

the Soviet Union took the initiative and threatened to withdraw their man.

The bluff apparendy worked: After all die weeks of waiting, the endless

and infuriating negotiations, Fischer agreed to play. Everyone was relieved,

no one more than Spassky. But on die day of the official introductions,

Fischer arrived very late, and on the day when the “Match of the Century”

was to begin, he was late again. This time, however, the consequences

would be dire: If he showed up too late he would forfeit die first game.

What was going on Was he playing some sort of mind game Or was Bobby

Fischer perhaps afraid of Boris Spassky It seemed to the assembled grand

masters, and to Spassky, that this young kid from Brooklyn had a terrible

case of the jitters. At 5:09 Fischer showed up, exactly one minute before die

match was to be canceled.

The first game of a chess tournament is critical, since it sets the tone for

die months to come. It is often a slow and quiet struggle, with the two

players preparing themselves for the war and trying to read each other's

strategies. This game was different Fischer made a terrible move early on,

perhaps the worst of his career, and when Spassky had him on die ropes, he

seemed to give up. Yet Spassky knew diat Fischer never gave up. Even

when facing checkmate, he fought to the bitter end, wearing the opponent

down. This time, diough, he seemed resigned. Then suddenly he broke out a

bold move that put the room in a buzz. The move shocked Spassky, but he

recovered and managed to win the game. But no one could figure out what

Fischer was up to. Had he lost deliberately Or was he rattled Unset-ded

Even, as some thought, insane

After his defeat in the first game, Fischer complained all the more

loudly about die room, die cameras, and everything else. He also failed to

show up on time for die second game. This time the organizers had had

enough: He was given a forfeit. Now he was down two games to none, a

position from which no one had ever come back to win a chess

championship. Fischer was clearly unhinged. Yet in the third game, as all

those who witnessed it remember, he had a ferocious look in his eye, a look

that clearly bothered Spassky. And despite the hole he had dug for himself,

he seemed supremely confident. He did make what appeared to be another

blunder, as he had in the first gamebut his cocky air made Spassky smell a

trap. Yet despite die Russian's suspicions, he could not figure out the trap,

and before he knew it Fischer had checkmated him. In fact Fischer's

unorthodox tactics had completely unnerved his opponent. At the end of the

game, Fischer leaped up and rushed out, yelling to his confederates as he

smashed a fist into his palm, “I'm crushing him with brute force!”

In the next games Fischer pulled moves that no one had seen from him

before, moves that were not his style. Now Spassky started to make

blunders. After losing the sixth game, he started to cry. One grand master

said, “After diis, Spassky's got to ask himself if it's safe to go back to

Russia.” After the eighth game Spassky decided he knew what was

happening: Bobby Fischer was hypnotizing him. He decided not to look

Fischer in the eye; he lost anyway.

After the fourteenth game he called a staff conference and announced,

“An attempt is being made to control my mind.” He wondered whether the

orange juice they drank at the chess table could have been drugged. Maybe

chemicals were being blown into die air. Finally Spassky went public,

accusing the Fischer team of putting something in the chairs that was

altering Spassky's mind. The KGB went on alert: Boris Spassky was

embarrassing the Soviet Union!

The chairs were taken apart and X-rayed. A chemist found nothing

unusual in them. The only things anyone found anywhere, in fact, were two

dead flies in a lighting fixture. Spassky began to complain of hallucinations.

He tried to keep playing, but his mind was unraveling. He could not go on.

On September 2, he resigned. Although still relatively young, he never

recovered from diis defeat.

Interpretation

In previous games between Fischer and Spassky, Fischer had not fared

well. Spassky had an uncanny ability to read his opponent's strategy and use

it against him. Adaptable and patient, he would build attacks that would

defeat not in seven moves but in seventy. He defeated Fischer every time

mey played because he saw much further ahead, and because he was a

brilliant psychologist who never lost control. One master said, “He doesn't

just look for the best move. He looks for the move that will disturb the man

he is playing.”

Fischer, however, finally understood that this was one of the keys to

Spassky's success: He played on your predictability, defeated you at your

own game. Everything Fischer did for die championship match was an at-

tempt to put the initiative on his side and to keep Spassky off-balance.

Clearly the endless waiting had an effect on Spassky's psyche. Most

powerful of all, tfiough, were Fischer's deliberate blunders and his

appearance of having no clear strategy. In fact, he was doing everything he

could to scramble his old patterns, even if it meant losing die first match

and forfeiting the second.

Spassky was known for his sangfroid and levelheadedness, but for the

first time in his life he could not figure out his opponent. He slowly melted

down, until at die end he was die one who seemed insane.

Chess contains die concentrated essence of life: First, because to win

you have to be supremely patient and farseeing; and second, because the

game is built on patterns, whole sequences of moves that have been played

before and will be played again, with slight alterations, in any one match.

Your opponent analyzes the patterns you are playing and uses diem to try to

foresee your moves. Allowing him notiiing predictable to base his strategy

on gives you a big advantage. In chess as in life, when people cannot figure

out what you are doing, diey are kept in a state of terrorwaiting, uncertain,

confused.

Life at court is a serious, melancholy game of chess, which requires us

to draw

up our pieces and batteries, form a plan, pursue it, parry that of our

adversary. Sometimes, however, it is better to take risks

and play the most capricious, unpredictable move.

Jean de La Bruyere, 1645-1696

KEYS TO POWER

Nodiing is more terrifying dian the sudden and unpredictable. That is

why

we are so frightened by earthquakes and tornadoes: We do not know

when

they will strike. After one has occurred, we wait in terror for the next

one.

To a lesser degree, diis is the effect tiiat unpredictable human behavior

has

onus.

Animals behave in set patterns, which is why we are able to hunt and

kill them. Only man has the capacity to consciously alter his behavior, to

improvise and overcome the weight of routine and habit. Yet most men do

not realize diis power. They prefer die comforts of routine, of giving in to

the animal nature that has diem repeating die same compulsive actions time

and time again. They do this because it requires no effort, and because diey

mistakenly believe that if they do not unsetde others, they will be left alone.

Understand: A person of power instills a kind of fear by deliberately

unsetding those around him to keep the initiative on his side. You

sometimes need to strike witiiout warning, to make others tremble when

they least expect it. It is a device that the powerful have used for centuries.

Filippo Maria, the last of die Visconti dukes of Milan in fifteenth-

century Italy, consciously did die opposite of what everyone expected of

him. For instance, he might suddenly shower a courtier witii attention, and

dien, once die man had come to expect a promotion to higher office,

he allowed him a fair amount of latitude in handling his paintings, then

one day, for no apparent reason, he told die man he would no longer give

him any work to sell. As Rcasso explained, “Rosenberg would spend the

next forty-eight hours trying to figure out why. Was I reserving things for

some other dealer I'd go on working and sleeping and Rosenberg would

spend his time figuring. In two days he'd come back, nerves jangled,

anxious, saying, After all, dear friend, you wouldn't turn me down if I

offered you this much [naming a substantially higher figure] for uiose

paintings rather than the price I've been accustomed to paying you, would

you'”

Unpredictability is not only a weapon of terror: Scrambling your

patterns on a day-to-day basis will cause a stir around you and stimulate

interest. People will talk about you, ascribe motives and explanations that

have nothing to do with the truth, but that keep you constantly in their

minds. In the end, die more capricious you appear, die more respect you

will garner. Only die terminally subordinate act in a predictable manner.

Image: The Cyclone. A wind that cannot be foreseen. Sudden shifts in

the barometer, inexplicable changes in direction and velocity. There is no

defense: A cyclone sows terror and confusion.

Authority: The enlightened ruler is so mysterious that he seems to dwell

nowhere, so inexplicable that no one can seek him. He reposes in nonaction

above, and his ministers tremble below. (Han-fei-tzu, Chinese philosopher,

third century B.C.)

REVERSAL

Sometimes predictability can work in your favor: By creating a pattern

for people to be familiar and comfortable with, you can lull them to sleep.

They have prepared everything according to their preconceived notions

about you. You can use this in several ways: First, it sets up a smoke screen,

a comfortable front behind which you can carry on deceptive actions.

Second, it allows you on rare occasions to do something completely against

the pattern, unsettling your opponent so deeply he will fall to the ground

wimout being pushed.

In 1974 Muhammad Ali and George Foreman were scheduled to fight

for the world heavyweight boxing championship. Everyone knew what

would happen: Big George Foreman would try to land a knockout punch

while Ali would dance around him, wearing him out. That was Ali's way of

fighting, his pattern, and he had not changed it in more than ten years. But

in this case it seemed to give Foreman the advantage: He had a devastating

punch, and if he waited, sooner or later Ali would have to come to him. Ali,

the master strategist, had other plans: In press conferences before the big

fight, he said he was going to change his style and punch it out with

Foreman. No one, least of all Foreman, believed this for a second. That plan

would be suicide on Ali's part; he was playing the comedian, as usual.

Then, before the fight, Ali's trainer loosened the ropes around the ring,

something a trainer would do if his boxer were intending to slug it out. But

no one believed this ploy; it had to be a setup.

To everyone's amazement, Ali did exacdy what he had said he would

do. As Foreman waited for him to dance around, Ali went right up to him

and slugged it out. He completely upset his opponent's strategy. At a loss,

Foreman ended up wearing himself out, not by chasing Ali but by throwing

punches wildly, and taking more and more counterpunches. Finally, Ali

landed a dramatic right cross that knocked out Foreman. The habit of

assuming that a person's behavior will fit its previous patterns is so strong

that not even Ali's announcement of a strategy change was enough to upset

it. Foreman walked into a trapthe trap he had been told to expect.

A warning: Unpredictability can work against you sometimes,

especially if you are in a subordinate position. There are times when it is

better to let people feel comfortable and settled around you than to disturb

them. Too much unpredictability will be seen as a sign of indecisiveness, or

even of some more serious psychic problem. Patterns are powerful, and you

can terrify people by disrupting them. Such power should only be used

judiciously.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 18

DO NOT BUILD FORTRESSES

TO PROTECT YOURSELF

ISOLATION IS DANGEROUS

JUDGMENT

The world is dangerous and enemies are everywhere everyone has to

protect themselves. A fortress seems the safest. But isolation exposes you to

more dangers than it protects you fromit cuts you off from valuable

information, it makes you conspicuous and an easy target. Better to

circulate among people, find allies, mingle. You are shielded from your

enemies by the crowd.

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

Ch'in Shih Huang Ti, the first emperor of China (221-210 B.C.), was the

mightiest man of his day. His empire was vaster and more powerful than

that of Alexander the Great. He had conquered all of the kingdoms

surrounding his own kingdom of Ch'in and unified them into one massive

realm called China. But in the last years of his life, few, if anyone, saw him.

The emperor lived in the most magnificent palace built to that date, in

the capital of Hsien-yang. The palace had 270 pavilions; all of these were

connected by secret underground passageways, allowing the emperor to

move through the palace without anyone seeing him. He slept in a different

room every night, and anyone who inadvertendy laid eyes on him was

instandy beheaded. Only a handful of men knew his whereabouts, and if

they revealed it to anyone, they, too, were put to deadi.

The first emperor had grown so terrified of human contact that when he

had to leave die palace he traveled incognito, disguising himself carefully.

On one such trip through the provinces, he suddenly died. His body was

borne back to the capital in the emperor's carriage, with a cart packed with

salted fish trailing behind it to cover up die smell of the rotting corpseno

one was to know of his death. He died alone, far from his wives, his family,

his friends, and his courtiers, accompanied only by a minister and a handful

of eunuchs.

Interpretation

Shih Huang Ti started off as the king of Ch'in, a fearless warrior of

unbridled ambition. Writers of die time described him as a man with “a

waspish nose, eyes like slits, the voice of a jackal, and the heart of a tiger or

wolf.” He could be merciful sometimes, but more often he “swallowed men

up without a scruple.” It was through trickery and violence that he

conquered the provinces surrounding his own and created China, forging a

single nation and culture out of many. He broke up the feudal system, and

to keep an eye on die many members of the royal families that were

scattered across the realm's various kingdoms, he moved 120,000 of them to

the capital, where he housed the most important courtiers in the vast palace

of Hsien-yang. He consolidated the many walls on the borders and built

them into me Great Wall of China. He standardized die country's laws, its

written language, even die size of its cartwheels.

As part of this process of unification, however, the first emperor

outlawed the writings and teachings of Confucius, the philosopher whose

ideas on the moral life had already become virtually a religion in Chinese

culture. On Shih Huang Ti's order, tiiousands of books relating to Confucius

were burned, and anyone who quoted Confucius was to be beheaded. This

made many enemies for the emperor, and he grew constantiy afraid, even

paranoid. The executions mounted. A contemporary, the writer Han-fei-tzu,

noted mat “Ch'in has been victorious for four generations, yet has lived in

constant terror and apprehension of destruction.”

As die emperor withdrew deeper and deeper into the palace to protect

INK MASOI K or TIIK Ul:i) l)K V] II

The “Red Death ” had long devastated the country. No pestilence had

ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its sealthe

redness and horror of blood. There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness,

and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution.... And the whole

seizure, progress, and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half

an hour.

But the Prince Pros-pero was happy and dauntless and saga-clous.

When his dominions were half-depopulated, he summoned to his presence a

thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames

of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his

castellated abbeys. This was an extensive and magnificent structure, the

creation of the prince's own eccentric yet august taste. A strong and lofty

wall girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron. The courtiers, having entered,

brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts. They resolved

to leave means neither of ingress nor egress to the sudden impulses of

despair or of frenzy from within. The abbey was amply provisioned. With

such

precautions the courtiers might bid defiance to contagion. The external

world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to

think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were

buffoons, there were improvisator!, there were ballet-dancers, there were

musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were

within. Without was the “Red Death.” It was toward the close of the fifth or

sixth month of his seclusion, and while the pestilence raged most furiously

abroad, that the Prince Prospero entertained his thousand friends at a

masked ball of the most unusual magnificence. It was a voluptuous scene,

that masquerade.... ... And the revel went whirlingly on, until at length there

commenced the sounding of midnight upon the clock.... And thus too, it

happened, perhaps, that before the last echoes of the last chime had utterly

sunk into silence, there were many individuals in the crowd who had found

leisure to become aware of the presence of a masked figure which had

arrested the attention of no single individual before.... The figure was tall

and gaunt, and shrouded from head to foot in the habiliments of the grave.

The mask which concealed the visage

himself, he slowly lost control of the realm. Eunuchs and ministers

enacted political policies without his approval or even his knowledge; they

also plotted against him. By the end, he was emperor in name only, and was

so isolated that barely anyone knew he had died. He had probably been

poisoned by the same scheming ministers who encouraged his isolation.

That is what isolation brings: Retreat into a fortress and you lose contact

with the sources of your power. You lose your ear for what is happening

around you, as well as a sense of proportion. Instead of being safer, you cut

yourself off from the kind of knowledge on which your life depends. Never

enclose yourself so far from the streets that you cannot hear what is

happening around you, including the plots against you.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

Louis XIV had the palace of Versailles built for him and his court in the

1660s, and it was like no other royal palace in the world. As in a beehive,

everything revolved around the royal person. He lived surrounded by the

nobility, who were allotted apartments nestied around his, their closeness to

him dependent on their rank. The king's bedroom occupied the literal center

of the palace and was the focus of everyone's attention. Every morning the

king was greeted in this room by a ritual known as the lever.

At eight A.M., the king's first valet, who slept at the foot of the royal

bed, would awaken His Majesty. Then pages would open the door and

admit those who had a function in the lever. The order of their entry was

precise: First came the king's illegitimate sons and his grandchildren, then

the princes and princesses of the blood, and then his physician and surgeon.

There followed the grand officers of the wardrobe, the king's official reader,

and those in charge of entertaining the king. Next would arrive various

government officials, in ascending order of rank. Last but not least came

those attending the lever by special invitation. By the end of the ceremony,

the room would be packed with well over a hundred royal attendants and

visitors.

The day was organized so that all the palace's energy was directed at

and passed through the king. Louis was constantly attended by courtiers and

officials, all asking for his advice and judgment. To all their questions he

usually replied, “I shall see.”

As Saint-Simon noted, “If he turned to someone, asked him a question,

made an insignificant remark, the eyes of all present were turned on this

person. It was a distinction that was talked of and increased prestige.” There

was no possibility of privacy in the palace, not even for the king every room

communicated with another, and every hallway led to larger rooms where

groups of nobles gathered constantly. Everyone's actions were

interdependent, and nothing and no one passed unnoticed: “The king not

only saw to it mat all the high nobility was present at his court,” wrote

Saint-Simon, "he demanded the same of the minor nobility. At his lever and

coucher, at his meals, in his gardens of Versailles, he always looked

about him, noticing everything. He was offended if the most

distinguished nobles did not live permanendy at court, and those who

showed themselves never or hardly ever, incurred his full displeasure. If one

of these desired something, the king would say proudly: 'I do not know

him,' and the judgment was irrevocable."

Interpretation

Louis XIV came to power at the end of a terrible civil war, the Fronde.

A principal instigator of the war had been the nobility, which deeply

resented me growing power of the throne and yearned for the days of

feudalism, when the lords ruled their own fiefdoms and the king had little

authority over them. The nobles had lost the civil war, but they remained a

fractious, resentful lot.

The construction of Versailles, then, was far more than the decadent

whim of a luxury-loving king. It served a crucial function: The king could

keep an eye and an ear on everyone and everything around him. The once

proud nobility was reduced to squabbling over the right to help the king put

on his robes in the morning. There was no possibility here of privacyno

possibility of isolation. Louis XIV very early grasped the truth that for a

king to isolate himself is gravely dangerous. In his absence, conspiracies

will spring up like mushrooms after rain, animosities will crystallize into

factions, and rebellion will break out before he has the time to react. To

combat this, sociability and openness must not only be encouraged, they

must be formally organized and channeled.

These conditions at Versailles lasted for Louis's entire reign, some fifty

years of relative peace and tranquillity. Through it all, not a pin dropped

without Louis hearing it.

Solitude is dangerous to reason, without being favorable to virtue. . . .

Remember that the solitary mortal is certainly luxurious,

probably superstitious, and possibly mad.

Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1709-1784

KEYS TO POWER

Machiavelli makes the argument that in a stricdy military sense a

fortress is invariably a mistake. It becomes a symbol of power's isolation,

and is an easy target for its builders' enemies. Designed to defend you,

fortresses actually cut you off from help and cut into your flexibility. They

may appear impregnable, but once you retire to one, everyone knows where

you are; and a siege does not have to succeed to turn your fortress into a

prison. With their small and confined spaces, fortresses are also extremely

vulnerable to the plague and contagious diseases. In a strategic sense, the

isolation of a fortress provides no protection, and actually creates more

problems than it solves.

was made so nearly to resemble the counte-nanee of a stiffened corpse

that the closest scrutiny must have had difficulty in detecting the cheat. And

yet all this might have been endured, if not approved, by the mad revellers

around. But the mummer had gone so far as to assume the type of the Red

Death. His vesture was dabbled in blood and his broad brow, with all the

features of the face, was sprinkled with the scarlet horror.... .. .A throng of

the revellers at once threw themselves into the black apartment, and, seizing

the mummer, whose tall figure stood erect and motionless within the

shadow of the ebony clock, gasped in unutterable horror at finding the

grave cerements and corpse-like mask, which they handled with so violent a

rudeness, untenanted by any tangible form. And now was acknowledged the

presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one

by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and

died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And the life of the ebony

clock went out with that of the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripods

expired. And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable

dominion over all.

the masque of the red death, Edgar Allan Poe. 1809-1849

Because humans are social creatures by nature, power depends on social

interaction and circulation. To make yourself powerful you must place

yourself at the center of things, as Louis XIV did at Versailles. All activity

should revolve around you, and you should be aware of everything

happening on the street, and of anyone who might be hatching plots against

you. The danger for most people comes when they feel threatened. In such

times they tend to retreat and close ranks, to find security in a kind of

fortress. In doing so, however, they come to rely for information on a

smaller and smaller circle, and lose perspective on events around them.

They lose maneuverability and become easy targets, and their isolation

makes them paranoid. As in warfare and most games of strategy, isolation

often precedes defeat and death.

In moments of uncertainty and danger, you need to fight this desire to

turn inward. Instead, make yourself more accessible, seek out old allies and

make new ones, force yourself into more and more different circles. This

has been the trick of powerful people for centuries.

The Roman statesman Cicero was born into the lower nobility, and had

little chance of power unless he managed to make a place for himself

among the aristocrats who controlled the city. He succeeded brilliantly,

identifying everyone with influence and figuring out how they were

connected to one another. He mingled everywhere, knew everyone, and had

such a vast network of connections that an enemy here could easily be

counterbalanced by an ally there.

The French statesman Talleyrand played the game the same way.

Although he came from one of the oldest aristocratic families in France, he

made a point of always staying in touch with what was happening in the

streets of Paris, allowing him to foresee trends and troubles. He even got a

certain pleasure out of mingling with shady criminal types, who supplied

him with valuable information. Every time there was a crisis, a transition of

powerthe end of the Directory, the fall of Napoleon, the abdication of Louis

XVIIIhe was able to survive and even thrive, because he never closed

himself up in a small circle but always forged connections with the new

order.

This law pertains to kings and queens, and to those of the highest

power: The moment you lose contact with your people, seeking security in

isolation, rebellion is brewing. Never imagine yourself so elevated that you

can afford to cut yourself off from even the lowest echelons. By retreating

to a fortress, you make yourself an easy target for your plotting subjects,

who view your isolation as an insult and a reason for rebellion.

Since humans are such social creatures, it follows that the social arts

that make us pleasant to be around can be practiced only by constant

exposure and circulation. The more you are in contact with others, the more

graceful and at ease you become. Isolation, on the other hand, engenders an

awkwardness in your gestures, and leads to further isolation, as people start

avoiding you.

In 1545 Duke Cosimo I de' Medici decided that to ensure the immor-

tality of his name he would commission frescoes for the main chapel of

the church of San Lorenzo in Florence. He had many great painters to

choose from, and in the end he picked Jacopo da Pontormo. Getting on in

years, Pontormo wanted to make these frescoes his chef d'oeuvre and

legacy. His first decision was to close the chapel off with walls, partitions,

and blinds. He wanted no one to witness the creation of his masterpiece, or

to steal his ideas. He would outdo Michelangelo himself. When some young

men broke into the chapel out of curiosity, Jacopo sealed it off even further.

Pontormo filled the chapel's ceiling with biblical scenesthe Creation,

Adam and Eve, Noah's ark, on and on. At the top of the middle wall he

painted Christ in his majesty, raising the dead on Judgment Day. The artist

worked on the chapel for eleven years, rarely leaving it, since he had

developed a phobia for human contact and was afraid his ideas would be

stolen.

Pontormo died before completing the frescoes, and none of diem has

survived. But the great Renaissance writer Vasari, a friend of Pontormo's

who saw the frescoes shortly after the artist's death, left a description of

what they looked like. There was a total lack of proportion. Scenes bumped

against scenes, figures in one story being juxtaposed witfi those in another,

in maddening numbers. Pontormo had become obsessed with detail but had

lost any sense of the overall composition. Vasari left off his description of

die frescoes by writing diat if he continued, “I think I would go mad and

become entangled in this painting, just as I believe mat in the eleven years

of time Jacopo spent on it, he entangled himself and anyone else who saw

it.” Instead of crowning Pontormo's career, the work became his undoing.

These frescoes were visual equivalents of die effects of isolation on die

human mind: a loss of proportion, an obsession with detail combined with

an inability to see die larger picture, a kind of extravagant ugliness that no

longer communicates. Clearly, isolation is as deadly for the creative arts as

for die social arts. Shakespeare is die most famous writer in history

because, as a dramatist for die popular stage, he opened himself up to die

masses, making his work accessible to people no matter what Uieir

education and taste. Artists who hole themselves up in their fortress lose a

sense of proportion, tiieir work communicating only to dieir small circle.

Such art remains cornered and powerless.

Finally, since power is a human creation, it is inevitably increased by

contact with other people. Instead of falling into the fortress mentality, view

die world in die following manner: It is like a vast Versailles, with every

room communicating with anotiier. You need to be permeable, able to float

in and out of different circles and mix witfi different types. That kind of

mobility and social contact will protect you from plotters, who will be

unable to keep secrets from you, and from your enemies, who will be

unable to isolate you from your allies. Always on the move, you mix and

mingle in die rooms of die palace, never sitting or settling in one place. No

hunter can fix his aim on such a swift-moving creature.

Image: The Fortress. High up on the hill, the citadel becomes a symbol

of all that is hateful in power and authority. The citizens of the town betray

you to the first enemy that comes. Cut off from communication and

intelligence, the citadel falls with ease.

Authority: A good and wise prince, desirous of maintaining that

character, and to avoid giving the opportunity to his sons to become

oppressive, will never build fortresses, so that they may place their reliance

upon the good will of meir subjects, and not upon the strength of citadels.

(Niccolo Machiavelli, 1469-1527)

REVERSAL

It is hardly ever right and propitious to choose isolation. Without

keeping an ear on what is happening in the streets, you will be unable to

protect yourself. About the only thing that constant human contact cannot

facilitate is thought. The weight of society's pressure to conform, and die

lack of distance from other people, can make it impossible to think clearly

about what is going on around you. As a temporary recourse, men, isolation

can help you to gain perspective. Many a serious thinker has been produced

in prisons, where we have nothing to do but think. Machiavelli could write

The Prince only once he found himself in exile and isolated on a farm far

from the political intrigues of Florence.

The danger is, however, that mis kind of isolation will sire all kinds of

strange and perverted ideas. You may gain perspective on the larger picture,

but you lose a sense of your own smallness and limitations. Also, the more

isolated you are, the harder it is to break out of your isolation when you

choose toit sinks you deep into its quicksand without your noticing. If you

need time to think, then, choose isolation only as a last resort, and only in

small doses. Be careful to keep your way back into society open.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 19

KNOW WHO YOU'RE

DEALING WITH

DO NOT OFFEND THE

WRONG PERSON

JUDGMENT

There are many different kinds of people in the world, and you can

never assume that everyone will react to your strategies in the same way.

Deceive or outmaneuver some people and they will spend the rest of their

lives seeking revenge. They are wolves in lambs' clothing. Choose your

victims and opponents carefully, thennever offend or deceive the wrong

person.

When you meet a

swordsman, draw your

sword: Do not recite

poetry to one who is

not a poet.

From a Ch'an

Buddhist classic,

quoted in

thunder in the sky,

translated by

Thomas Cleary, 1993

OPPONENTS, SUCKERS, AND VICTIMS: Preliminary Typology In

your rise to power you will come across many breeds of opponent, sucker,

and victim. The highest form of the art of power is the ability to distinguish

the wolves from die lambs, the foxes from die hares, the hawks from die

vultures. If you make diis distinction well, you will succeed widi-out

needing to coerce anyone too much. But if you deal blindly with whomever

crosses your padi, you will have a life of constant sorrow, if you even live

tiiat long. Being able to recognize types of people, and to act accordingly, is

critical. The following are die five most dangerous and difficult types of

mark in the jungle, as identified by artistscon and otherwiseof the past.

II IK HK\ K\CK OK

koi'k nv. \

[Lope de] Aguirre's character is amply illustrated in an anecdote from

the. chronicle of Garcilaso de la Vega, who related that in 1548 Aguirre was

a member of a platoon of soldiers escorting Indian slaves from the mines at

Potosl [Bolivia] to a royal treasury depot. The Indians were illegally

burdened with great quantities of silver, and a local official arrested

Aguirre, sentencing him to receive two hundred lashes in lieu of a fine for

oppressing the Indians. "The soldier Aguirre, having received a notification

of the sentence, besought the alcalde that, instead of flogging him, he would

put him to death, for that he was a gentleman by birth.... All this had no

effect on the alcalde, who ordered the executioner to bring a beast, and

execute the sentence. The executioner came to the

The Arrogant and Proud Man. Although he may initially disguise it, tiiis

man's touchy pride makes him very dangerous. Any perceived slight will

lead to a vengeance of overwhelming violence. You may say to yourself,

“But I only said such-and-such at a party, where everyone was drunk. ...” It

does not matter. There is no sanity behind his overreaction, so do not waste

time trying to figure him out. If at any point in your dealings with a person

you sense an oversensitive and overactive pride, flee. Whatever you are

hoping for from him isn't worth it.

The Hopelessly Insecure Man. This man is related to the proud and

arrogant type, but is less violent and harder to spot. His ego is fragile, his

sense of self insecure, and if he feels himself deceived or attacked, the hurt

will simmer. He will attack you in bites tiiat will take forever to get big

enough for you to notice. If you find you have deceived or harmed such a

man, disappear for a long time. Do not stay around him or he will nibble

you to death.

Mr. Suspicion. Anotiier variant on the breeds above, this is a future Joe

Stalin. He sees what he wants to seeusually the worstin other people, and

imagines that everyone is after him. Mr. Suspicion is in fact the least

dangerous of the three: Genuinely unbalanced, he is easy to deceive, just as

Stalin himself was constandy deceived. Play on his suspicious nature to get

him to turn against odier people. But if you do become die target of his

suspicions, watch out.

The Serpent with a Long Memory. If hurt or deceived, this man will

show no anger on the surface; he will calculate and wait. Then, when he is

in a position to turn the tables, he will exact a revenge marked by a

coldblooded shrewdness. Recognize this man by his calculation and

cunning in the different areas of his life. He is usually cold and

unaffectionate. Be doubly careful of this snake, and if you have somehow

injured him, either crush him completely or get him out of your sight.

The Plain, Unassuming, and Often Unintelligent Man. Ah, your ears

prick up when you find such a tempting victim. But this man is a lot harder

to deceive than you imagine. Falling for a ruse often takes intelligence

and imaginationa sense of die possible rewards. The blunt man will not take

die bait because he does not recognize it. He is diat unaware. The danger

widi this man is not mat he will harm you or seek revenge, but merely that

he will waste your time, energy, resources, and even your sanity in trying to

deceive him. Have a test ready for a marka joke, a story. If his reaction is

utterly literal, this is die type you are dealing with. Continue at your own

risk.

TRANSGRESSIONS OF THE LAW

Transgression I

In the early part of the thirteenth century, Muhammad, the shah of

Khwarezm, managed after many wars to forge a huge empire, extending

west to present-day Turkey and south to Afghanistan. The empire's center

was the great Asian capital of Samarkand. The shah had a powerful, well-

trained army, and could mobilize 200,000 warriors within days.

In 1219 Muhammad received an embassy from a new tribal leader to

the east, Genghis Khan. The embassy included all sorts of gifts to the great

Muhammad, representing the finest goods from Khan's small but growing

Mongol empire. Genghis Khan wanted to reopen die Silk Route to Europe,

and offered to share it with Muhammad, while promising peace between the

two empires.

Muhammad did not know this upstart from the east, who, it seemed to

him, was extremely arrogant to try to talk as an equal to one so clearly his

superior. He ignored Khan's offer. Khan tried again: This time he sent a

caravan of a hundred camels filled with the rarest articles he had plundered

from China. Before the caravan reached Muhammad, however, Inalchik, die

governor of a region bordering on Samarkand, seized it for himself, and

executed its leaders.

Genghis Khan was sure diat this was a mistakethat Inalchik had acted

without Muhammad's approval. He sent yet another mission to Muhammad,

reiterating his offer and asking that the governor be punished. This time

Muhammad himself had one of the ambassadors beheaded, and sent the

other two back with shaved headsa horrifying insult in the Mongol code of

honor. Khan sent a message to die shah: “You have chosen war. What will

happen will happen, and what it is to be we know not; only God knows.”

Mobilizing his forces, in 1220 he attacked Inalchik's province, where he

seized the capital, captured the governor, and ordered him executed by

having molten silver poured into his eyes and ears.

Over the next year, Khan led a series of guerrilla-like campaigns against

die shah's much larger army. His metiiod was totally novel for the timehis

soldiers could move very fast on horseback, and had mastered the art of

firing widi bow and arrow while mounted. The speed and flexibility of his

forces allowed him to deceive Muhammad as to his intentions and die

directions of his movements. Eventually he managed first to sur-

prison, and put Aguirre on the beast.... The beast was driven on, and he

received the lashes. ..." When freed, Aguirre announced his intention of

killing the official who had sentenced him, the alcalde Esquivel. Esquivel's

term of office expired and he fled to Lima, three hundred twenty leagues

away, but within fifteen days Aguirre had tracked him there. The frightened

judge journeyed to Quito, a trip of four hundred leagues, and in twenty days

Aguirre arrived.

“When Esquivel heard of his presence,” according to Garcilaso, “he

made another journey of five hundred leagues to Cuzco; but in a few days

Aguirre also arrived, having travelled on foot and without shoes, saying that

a whipped man has no business to ride a horse, or to go where he would be

seen by others. In this way, Aguirre followed his judge for three years, and

four months.” Wearying of the pursuit, Esquivel remained at Cuzco, a city

so sternly governed that he felt he would be safe from Aguirre. He took a

house near the cathedral and never ventured outdoors without a sword and a

dagger. "However, on a certain Monday, at noon, Aguirre entered his house,

and having walked all over it, and having traversed a corridor, a saloon, a

chamber, and an inner

chamber where the

judge kept his books,

he at last found him

asleep over one of his

books, and slabbed him

to death. The murderer

then went out, but

when he came to the

door of the house, he

found that he had

forgotten his hat, and

had the temerity to

return and fetch it, and

then walked down

the street."

the golden dream:

seekers of el dorado,

Walker Chapman,

A troublesome Crow seated herself on the back of a Sheep. The Sheep,

much against his will, carried her backward and forward for a long time,

and at last said, “If you had treated a dog in this way, you would have had

your deserts from his sharp teeth.” To this the Crow replied, "I despise the

weak, and yield to the strong. I know whom I may bully, and whom I must

flatter; and thus I hope to prolong my life to a good old age.

FABLES,

Aesop, sixth century b.c.

round Samarkand, then to seize it. Muhammad fled, and a year later

died, his vast empire broken and destroyed. Genghis Khan was sole master

of Samarkand, the Silk Route, and most of northern Asia. Interpretation

Never assume that die person you are dealing with is weaker or less

important than you are. Some men are slow to take offense, which may

make you misjudge the thickness of their skin, and fail to worry about

insulting them. But should you offend their honor and their pride, tiiey will

overwhelm you with a violence that seems sudden and extreme given their

slowness to anger. If you want to turn people down, it is best to do so

politely and respectfully, even if you feel their request is impudent or their

offer ridiculous. Never reject them with an insult until you know them

better; you may be dealing witii a Genghis Khan.

Transgression II

In the late 1910s some of the best swindlers in America formed a con-

artist ring based in Denver, Colorado. In the winter months they would

spread across the southern states, plying their trade. In 1920 Joe Furey, a

leader of the ring, was working his way through Texas, making hundreds of

thousands of dollars with classic con games. In Fort Worth, he met a sucker

named J. Frank Norfleet, a cattleman who owned a large ranch. Norfleet fell

for the con. Convinced of die riches to come, he emptied his bank account

of $45,000 and handed it over to Furey and his confederates. A few days

later they gave him his “millions,” which turned out to be a few good

dollars wrapped around a packet of newspaper clippings.

Furey and his men had worked such cons a hundred times before, and

the sucker was usually so embarrassed by his gullibility that he quietly

learned his lesson and accepted the loss. But Norfleet was not like otiier

suckers. He went to die police, who told him there was httle they could do.

“Then I'll go after those people myself,” Norfleet told the detectives. “I'll

get them, too, if it takes die rest of my life.” His wife took over the ranch as

Norfleet scoured the country, looking for others who had been fleeced in the

same game. One such sucker came forward, and the two men identified one

of the con artists in San Francisco, and managed to get him locked up. The

man committed suicide rather tiian face a long term in prison.

Norfleet kept going. He tracked down another of the con artists in

Montana, roped him like a calf, and dragged him through die muddy streets

to the town jail. He traveled not only across the country but to England,

Canada, and Mexico in search of Joe Furey, and also of Furey's right-hand

man, W. B. Spencer. Finding Spencer in Montreal, Norfleet chased him

through the streets. Spencer escaped but the rancher stayed on his trail and

caught up with him in Salt Lake City. Preferring the mercy of the law to

Norfleet's wrath, Spencer turned himself in.

Norfleet found Furey in Jacksonville, Florida, and personally hauled

him off to face justice in Texas. But he wouldn't stop there: He continued on

to Denver, determined to break up the entire ring. Spending not only

large sums of money but another year of his life in the pursuit, he

managed to put all of the con ring's leaders behind bars. Even some he

didn't catch had grown so terrified of him that they too turned themselves

in.

After five years of hunting, Norfleet had single-handedly destroyed the

country's largest confederation of con artists. The effort bankrupted him and

ruined his marriage, but he died a satisfied man. Interpretation

Most men accept the humiliation of being conned with a sense of

resignation. They learn their lesson, recognizing that there is no such thing

as a free lunch, and that they have usually been brought down by their own

greed for easy money. Some, however, refuse to take their medicine. Instead

of reflecting on their own gullibility and avarice, they see themselves as

totally innocent victims.

Men like this may seem to be crusaders for justice and honesty, but they

are actually immoderately insecure. Being fooled, being conned, has

activated their self-doubt, and they are desperate to repair the damage. Were

the mortgage on Norfleet's ranch, the collapse of his marriage, and the years

of borrowing money and living in cheap hotels worth his revenge over his

embarrassment at being fleeced To the Norfleets of the world, overcoming

their embarrassment is worth any price.

All people have insecurities, and often the best way to deceive a sucker

is to play upon his insecurities. But in the realm of power, everything is a

question of degree, and the person who is decidedly more insecure than the

average mortal presents great dangers. Be warned: If you practice deception

or trickery of any sort, study your mark well. Some people's insecurity and

ego fragility cannot tolerate the slightest offense. To see if you are dealing

with such a type, test them firstmake, say, a mild joke at their expense. A

confident person will laugh; an overly insecure one will react as if

personally insulted. If you suspect you are dealing with this type, find

another victim.

Transgression III

In the fifth century B.C., Ch'ung-erh, the prince of Ch'in (in present-day

China), had been forced into exile. He lived modesdyeven, sometimes, in

povertywaiting for the time when he could return home and resume his

princely life. Once he was passing through the state of Cheng, where the

ruler, not knowing who he was, treated him rudely. The ruler's minister, Shu

Chan, saw this and said, “This man is a worthy prince. May Your Highness

treat him with great courtesy and thereby place him under an obligation!”

But the ruler, able to see only the prince's lowly station, ignored this advice

and insulted the prince again. Shu Chan again warned his master, saying, “If

Your Highness cannot treat Ch'ung-erh with courtesy, you should put him to

death, to avoid calamity in the future.” The ruler only scoffed.

Years later, the prince was finally able to return home, his circumstances

gready changed. He did not forget who had been kind to him, and

who had been insolent, during his years of poverty. Least of all did he

forget his treatment at the hands of the ruler of Cheng. At his first

opportunity he assembled a vast army and marched on Cheng, taking eight

cities, destroying the kingdom, and sending the ruler into an exile of his

own. Interpretation

You can never be sure who you are dealing with. A man who is of littie

importance and means today can be a person of power tomorrow. We forget

a lot in our lives, but we rarely forget an insult.

How was me ruler of Cheng to know that Prince Ch'ung-erh was an

ambitious, calculating, cunning type, a serpent with a long memory There

was really no way for him to know, you may saybut since mere was no way,

it would have been better not to tempt the fates by finding out. There is

notfiing to be gained by insulting a person unnecessarily. Swallow the

impulse to offend, even if the other person seems weak. The satisfaction is

meager compared to the danger mat someday he or she will be in a position

to hurt you.

Transgression IV

The year of 1920 had been a particularly bad one for American art

dealers. Big buyersdie robber-baron generation of die previous centurywere

getting to an age where they were dying off like flies, and no new

millionaires had emerged to take dieir place. Things were so bad diat a

number of the major dealers decided to pool their resources, an unheard-of

event, since art dealers usually get along like cats and dogs.

Joseph Duveen, art dealer to the richest tycoons of America, was

suffering more man the others mat year, so he decided to go along with this

alliance. The group now consisted of the five biggest dealers in the country.

Looking around for a new client, they decided mat their last best hope was

Henry Ford, then the wealthiest man in America. Ford had yet to venture

into the art market, and he was such a big target that it made sense for them

to work togedier.

The dealers decided to assemble a list, “The 100 Greatest Paintings in

me World” (all of which they happened to have in stock), and to offer the

lot of them to Ford. With one purchase he could make himself the world's

greatest collector. The consortium worked for weeks to produce a

magnificent object: a three-volume set of books containing beautiful

reproductions of the paintings, as well as scholarly texts accompanying

each picture. Next they made a personal visit to Ford at his home in

Dearborn, Michigan. There mey were surprised by the simplicity of his

house: Mr. Ford was obviously an extremely unaffected man.

Ford received them in his study. Looking through the book, he

expressed astonishment and delight. The excited dealers began imagining

the millions of dollars mat would shortly flow into their coffers. Finally,

however, Ford looked up from die book and said, “Gendemen, beautiful

books like tiiese, with beautiful colored pictures like these, must cost an

awful lot!” “But Mr. Ford!” exclaimed Duveen, "we don't expect you to buy

these

books. We got tiiem up especially for you, to show you the pictures.

These books are a present to you.“ Ford seemed puzzled. ”Gendemen,“ he

said, ”it is extremely nice of you, but I really don't see how I can accept a

beautiful, expensive present like mis from strangers.“ Duveen explained to

Ford that the reproductions in the books showed paintings mey had hoped

to sell to him. Ford finally understood. ”But gendemen,“ he exclaimed,

”what would I want widi die original pictures when the ones right here in

these books are so beautiful" Interpretation

Joseph Duveen prided himself on studying his victims and clients in

advance, figuring out dieir weaknesses and die peculiarities of dieir tastes

before he ever met diem. He was driven by desperation to drop this tactic

just once, in his assault on Henry Ford. It took him mondis to recover from

his misjudgment, both mentally and monetarily. Ford was the unassuming

plain-man type who just isn't worth the botiier. He was the incarnation of

those literal-minded folk who do not possess enough imagination to be

deceived. From then on, Duveen saved his energies for the Mellons and

Morgans of the worldmen crafty enough for him to entrap in his snares.

KEYS TO POWER

The ability to measure people and to know who you're dealing with is

die most important skill of all in gadiering and conserving power. Without it

you are blind: Not only will you offend the wrong people, you will choose

the wrong types to work on, and will think you are flattering people when

you are actually insulting them. Before embarking on any move, take the

measure of your mark or potential opponent. Otiierwise you will waste time

and make mistakes. Study people's weaknesses, the chinks in dieir armor,

dieir areas of bodi pride and insecurity. Know tiieir ins and outs before you

even decide whetiier or not to deal widi diem.

Two final words of caution: First, in judging and measuring your

opponent, never rely on your instincts. You will make the greatest mistakes

of all if you rely on such inexact indicators. Notiiing can substitute for

gathering concrete knowledge. Study and spy on your opponent for

however long it takes; diis will pay off in die long run.

Second, never trust appearances. Anyone widi a serpent's heart can use

a show of kindness to cloak it; a person who is blustery on die outside is

often really a coward. Learn to see through appearances and their

contradictions. Never trust die version that people give of themselvesit is

utterly unreliable.

Image: The Hunter. He does not lay the same trap for a wolf as for a

fox. He does not set bait where no one will take it. He knows his prey

thoroughly, its habits and hideaways, and hunts accordingly.

Autiiority: Be convinced, that there are no persons so insignificant and

inconsiderable, but may, some time or other, have it in their power to be of

use to you; which they certainly will not, if you have once shown them

contempt. Wrongs are often forgiven, but contempt never is. Our pride

remembers it for ever. (Lord Chesterfield, 1694-1773)

REVERSAL

What possible good can come from ignorance about other people Learn

to tell die lions from the lambs or pay the price. Obey this law to its fullest

extent; it has no reversaldo not bother looking for one.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 20

DO NOT COMMIT TO ANYONE

JUDGMENT

It is the fool who always rushes to take sides. Do not commit to any side

or cause but yourself. By maintaining your independence, you become the

master of others playing people against one another, making them pursue

you.

PART I: DO NOT COMMIT TO ANYONE, BUT BE COURTED BY

ALL

If you allow people to feel they possess you to any degree, you lose all

power over them. By not committing your affections, they will only try

harder to win you over. Stay aloof and you gain the power that comes from

their attention and frustrated desire. Play the Virgin Queen: Give them hope

but never satisfaction.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

When Queen Elizabeth I ascended the throne of England, in 1558, there

was much to-do about her finding a husband. The issue was debated in

Parliament, and was a main topic of conversation among Englishmen of all

classes; they often disagreed as to whom she should marry, but everyone

thought she should marry as soon as possible, for a queen must have a king,

and must bear heirs for the kingdom. The debates raged on for years.

Meanwhile the most handsome and eligible bachelors in the realmSir

Robert Dudley, the Earl of Essex, Sir Walter Raleighvied for Elizabeth's

hand. She did not discourage them, but she seemed to be in no hurry, and

her hints as to which man might be her favorite often contradicted each

other. In 1566, Parliament sent a delegation to Elizabeth urging her to marry

before she was too old to bear children. She did not argue, nor did she

discourage the delegation, but she remained a virgin nonetheless.

The delicate game that Elizabeth played with her suitors slowly made

her the subject of innumerable sexual fantasies and the object of cultish

worship. The court physician, Simon Forman, used his diary to describe his

dreams of deflowering her. Painters represented her as Diana and other

goddesses. The poet Edmund Spenser a^d others wrote eulogies to the

Virgin Queen. She was referred to as "th

Throughout Europe, kings and princes knew that a marriage with

Elizabeth would seal an alliance between England and any nation. The king

of Spain wooed her, as did the prince of Sweden and the archduke of

Austria. She politely refused them all.

The great diplomatic issue of Elizabeth's day was posed by the revolt of

the Flemish and Dutch Lowlands, which were then possessions of Spain.

Should England break its alliance with Spain and choose France as its main

ally on the Continent, thereby encouraging Flemish and Dutch

independence By 1570 it had come to seem that an alliance with France

would be England's wisest course. France had two eligible men of noble

blood, the dukes of Anjou and Alencon, brothers of the French king. Would

either of them marry Elizabeth Both had advantages, and Elizabeth kept the

hopes of both alive. The issue simmered for years. The duke of Anjou made

sev-

eral visits to England, kissed Elizabeth in public, even called her by pet

names; she appeared to requite his affections. Meanwhile, as she flirted

with the two brothers, a treaty was signed that sealed peace between France

and England. By 1582 Elizabeth felt she could break off the courtship. In

the case of the duke of Anjou in particular, she did so witii great relief: For

the sake of diplomacy she had allowed herself to be courted by a man

whose presence she could not stand and whom she found physically

repulsive. Once peace between France and England was secure, she

dropped the unctuous duke as politely as she could.

By this time Elizabeth was too old to bear children. She was

accordingly able to live the rest of her life as she desired, and she died die

Virgin Queen. She left no direct heir, but ruled through a period of

incomparable peace and cultural fertility.

Interpretation

Elizabeth had good reason not to marry: She had witnessed die mistakes

of Mary Queen of Scots, her cousin. Resisting the idea of being ruled by a

woman, the Scots expected Mary to marry and marry wisely. To wed a

foreigner would be unpopular; to favor any particular noble house would

open up terrible rivalries. In the end Mary chose Lord Darnley, a Catholic.

In doing so she incurred the wrath of Scodand's Protestants, and endless

turmoil ensued.

Elizabeth knew that marriage can often lead to a female ruler's undoing:

By marrying and committing to an alliance widi one party or nation, the

queen becomes embroiled in conflicts that are not of her choosing, conflicts

which may eventually overwhelm her or lead her into a futile war. Also, die

husband becomes the de facto ruler, and often tries to do away with his wife

the queen, as Darnley tried to get rid of Mary. Elizabeth learned the lesson

well. She had two goals as a ruler: to a oid marriage and to avoid war. She

managed to combine these goals by umgling die possibility of marriage in

order to forge alliances. The moment she committed to any single suitor

would have been the moment she lost her power. She had to emanate

mystery and desirability, never discouraging anyone's hopes but never

yielding.

Through this lifelong game of flirting and withdrawing, Elizabedi

dominated die country and every man who sought to conquer her. As the

center of attention, she was in control. Keeping her independence above all,

Elizabeth protected her power and made herself an object of worship.

I would rather be a beggar and single than a queen and married.

Queen Elizabeth I, 1533-1603

KEYS TO POWER

Since power depends greatly on appearances, you must learn the tricks

that will enhance your image. Refusing to commit to a person or group is

one of these. When you hold yourself back, you incur not anger but a kind

of respect. You instantly seem powerful because you make yourself un-

graspable, rather than succumbing to the group, or to the relationship, as

most people do. This aura of power only grows with time: As your

reputation for independence grows, more and more people will come to

desire you, wanting to be the one who gets you to commit. Desire is like a

virus: If we see that someone is desired by other people, we tend to find this

person desirable too.

The moment you commit, the magic is gone. You become like everyone

else. People will try all kinds of underhanded methods to get you to

commit. They will give you gifts, shower you with favors, all to put you

under obligation. Encourage the attention, stimulate their interest, but do

not commit at any cost. Accept the gifts and favors if you so desire, but be

careful to maintain your inner aloofness. You cannot inadvertentiy allow

yourself to feel obligated to anyone.

Remember, though: The goal is not to put people off, or to make it seem

that you are incapable of commitment. Like the Virgin Queen, you need to

stir the pot, excite interest, lure people with the possibility of having you.

You have to bend to their attention occasionally, thenbut never too far.

The Greek soldier and statesman Alcibiades played this game to

perfection. It was Alcibiades who inspired and led the massive Athenian

armada that invaded Sicily in 414 B.C. When envious Athenians back home

tried to bring him down by accusing him of trumped-up charges, he

defected to the enemy, the Spartans, instead of facing a trial back home.

Then, after the Athenians were defeated at Syracuse, he left Sparta for

Persia, even though the power of Sparta was now on the rise. Now,

however, both die Athenians and the Spartans courted Alcibiades because

of his influence with tile Persians; and the Per tans showered him with

honors because of his power over the Athenians and the Spartans. He made

promises to every side but committed to none, and in die end he held all the

cards.

If you aspire to power and influence, try the Alcibiades tactic: Put

yourself in the middle between competing powers. Lure one side with the

promise of your help; the other side, always wanting to outdo its enemy,

will pursue you as well. As each side vies for your attention, you will

immediately seem a person of great influence and desirability. More power

will accrue to you than if you had rashly committed to one side. To perfect

this tactic you need to keep yourself inwardly free from emotional

entanglements, and to view all those around you as pawns in your rise to the

top. You cannot let yourself become the lackey for any cause.

In die midst of die 1968 U.S. presidential election, Henry Kissinger

made a phone call to Richard Nixon's team. Kissinger had been allied with

Nelson Rockefeller, who had unsuccessfully sought the Republican

nomination. Now Kissinger offered to supply the Nixon camp with valuable

inside information on the negotiations for peace in Vietnam that were then

going on in Paris. He had a man on die negotiating team keeping him

informed of die latest developments. The Nixon team gladly accepted his

offer.

At the same time, however, Kissinger also approached the Democratic

nominee, Hubert Humphrey, and offered his aid. The Humphrey people

asked him for inside information on Nixon and he supplied it. “Look,”

Kissinger told Humphrey's people, “I've hated Nixon for years.” In fact he

had no interest in either side. What he really wanted was what he got: the

promise of a high-level cabinet post from both Nixon and Humphrey.

Whichever man won the election, Kissinger's career was secure.

The winner, of course, was Nixon, and Kissinger duly went on to his

cabinet post. Even so, he was careful never to appear too much of a Nixon

man. When Nixon was reelected in 1972, men much more loyal to him than

Kissinger were fired. Kissinger was also the only Nixon high official to

survive Watergate and serve under the next president, Gerald Ford. By

maintaining a little distance he thrived in turbulent times.

Those who use this strategy often notice a strange phenomenon: People

who rush to the support of others tend to gain little respect in the process,

for their help is so easily obtained, while those who stand back find

themselves besieged with supplicants. Their aloofness is powerful, and

everyone wants them on their side.

When Picasso, after early years of poverty, had become the most

successful artist in the world, he did not commit himself to this dealer or

that dealer, although they now besieged him from all sides with attractive

offers and grand promises. Instead, he appeared to have no interest in their

services; this technique drove them wild, and as they fought over him his

prices only rose. When Henry Kissinger, as U.S. secretary of state, wanted

to reach detente with the Soviet Union, he made no concessions or

conciliatory gestures, but courted China instead. This infuriated and also

scared the Sovietsthey were already politica'ly isolated and feared further

isolation if the United States and China came together. Kissinger's move

pushed them to the negotiating table. The tactic has a parallel in seduction:

When you want to seduce a woman, Stendhal advises, court her sister first.

Stay aloof and people will come to you. It will become a challenge for

them to win your affections. As long as you imitate the wise Virgin Queen

and stimulate their hopes, you will remain a magnet of attention and desire.

Image:

The Virgin Queen.

The center of attention,

desire, and worship. Never

succumbing to one suitor or the

other, the Virgin Queen keeps

them all revolving around

her like planets, unable to

leave her orbit but never

getting any closer

to her.

Authority: Do not commit yourself to anybody or anything, for that is to

be a slave, a slave to every man. . . . Above all, keep yourself free of

commitments and obligations they are the device of another to get you into

his power. . . . (Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)

PART II: DO NOT COMMIT TO ANYONE-STAY ABOVE THE

FRAY

Do not let people drag you into their petty fights and squabbles. Seem

interested and supportive, but find a way to remain neutral; let others do the

fighting while you stand back, watch and wait. When the fighting parties

are good and tired they will be ripe for the picking. You can make it a

practice, in fact, to stir up quarrels between other people, and then offer to

mediate, gaining power as the go-between.

The kites and the crows made an agreement among themselves that thev

should go halves in everything obtained in the forest. One day thev saw a

fox that had been wounded by hunters lying helpless under a tree, and

gathered round it. The crows said, “ We will take the upper half of the fox. ”

“ Then we will take the lower half,”said the kites. The fox laughed at this,

and said, “I always thought the kites were superior in creation to the crows;

as such they must get the upper half of my body, of which my head, with

the brain and other delicate things in it, forms a portion.” “Oh, yes, that is

right, ” said the kites, “we will have that part of the fox. ” “ Not at all, ” said

the crows, “we must have it, as already agreed. ” Then a war arose between

the rival parties, and a great many fell on both sides, and the remaining few

escaped with difficulty. The fox continued there for some days,

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

In the late fifteenth century, the strongest city-states in ItalyVenice,

Florence, Rome, and Milanfound themselves constandy squabbling.

Hovering above their struggles were the nations of France and Spain, ready

to grab whatever they could from the weakened Italian powers. And trapped

in the middle was the small state of Mantua, ruled by the young Duke

Gianfrancesco Gonzaga. Mantua was strategically located in northern Italy,

and it seemed only a matter of time before one of the powers swallowed it

up and it ceased to exist as an independent kingdom.

Gonzaga was a fierce warrior and a skilled commander of troops, and he

became a kind of mercenary general for whatever side paid him best. In the

year 1490, he married Isabella d'Este, daughter of the ruler of another small

Italian duchy, Ferrara. Since he now spent most of his time away fron

Mantua, it fell to Isabella to rule in his stead.

Isabella's first true test as ruler came in 1498, when King Louis XII of

France was preparing armies to attack Milan. In their usual perfidious

fashion, the Italian states immediately looked for ways to profit from

Milan's difficulties. Pope Alexander VI promised not to intervene, thereby

giving the French carte blanche. The Venetians signaled mat they would not

help Milan, eitiierand in exchange for tiiis, they hoped the French would

give them Mantua. The ruler of Milan, Lodovico Sforza, suddenly found

himself alone and abandoned. He turned to Isabella d'Este, one of his

closest friends (also rumored to be his lover), and begged her to persuade

Duke Gonzaga to come to his aid. Isabella tried, but her husband balked, for

he saw Sforza's cause as hopeless. And so, in 1499, Louis swooped down

on Milan and took it widi ease.

Isabella now faced a dilemma: If she stayed loyal to Lodovico, the

French would now move against her. But if, instead, she allied herself with

France, she would make enemies elsewhere in Italy, compromising Mantua

once Louis eventually withdrew. And if she looked to Venice or Rome for

help, they would simply swallow up Mantua under the cloak of coming to

her aid. Yet she had to do something. The mighty king of France was

breathing down her neck: She decided to befriend him, as she had

befriended Lodovico Sforza before himwith alluring gifts, witty, intelligent

letters, and the possibility of her company, for Isabella was famous as a

woman of incomparable beauty and charm.

In 1500 Louis invited Isabella to a great party in Milan to celebrate his

victory. Leonardo da Vinci built an enormous mechanical lion for the affair:

When die lion opened its mouth, it spewed fresh lilies, the symbols of

French royalty. At die party Isabella wore one of her celebrated dresses (she

had by far the largest wardrobe of any of the Italian princesses), and just as

she had hoped, she charmed and captivated Louis, who ignored all the other

ladies vying for his attention. She soon became his constant companion, and

in exchange for her friendship he pledged to protect Mantua's independence

from Venice.

As one danger receded, however, another, more worrying one arose, this

time from die soudi, in the form of Cesare Borgia. Starting in 1500, Borgia

had marched steadily northward, gobbling up all the small kingdoms in his

path in the name of his father, Pope Alexander. Isabella understood Cesare

perfecdy: He could be neidier trusted nor in any way offended. He had to be

cajoled and kept at arm's lengdi. Isabella began by sending him giftsfalcons,

prize dogs, perfumes, and dozens of masks, which she knew he always

wore when he walked die streets of Rome. She sent messengers widi

flattering greetings (aldiough these messengers also acted as her spies). At

one point Cesare asked if he could house some troops in Mantua; Isabella

managed to dissuade him politely, knowing full well diat once die troops

were quartered in die city, they would never leave.

Even while Isabella was charming Cesare, she convinced everyone

around her to take care never to utter a harsh word about him, since he had

spies everywhere and would use the slightest pretext for invasion. When

Isabella had a child, she asked Cesare to be the godfather. She even dangled

in front of him the possibility of a marriage between her family and his.

Somehow it all worked, for although elsewhere he seized everything in his

path, he spared Mantua.

In 1503 Cesare's fadier, Alexander, died, and a few years later the new

pope, Julius II, went to war to drive die French troops from Italy. When the

ruler of FerraraAlfonso, Isabella's brothersided widi the French, Julius

decided to attack and humble him. Once again Isabella found herself in the

middle: die pope on one side, the French and her brother on the ouier. She

dared not ally herself with either, but to offend either would be equally

disastrous. Again she played die double game at which she had become so

expert. On die one hand she got her husband Gonzaga to fight for the pope,

knowing he would not fight very hard. On the other she let French troops

pass through Mantua to come to Ferrara's aid. While she publicly

complained that the French had “invaded” her territory, she privately

supplied diem with valuable information. To make die invasion plausible to

Julius, she even had die French pretend to plunder Mantua. It worked once

again: The pope left Mantua alone.

In 1513, after a lengdiy siege, Julius defeated Ferrara, and die French

troops withdrew. Worn out by the effort, the pope died a few montiis later.

Widi his death, the nightmarish cycle of batties and petty squabbles began

to repeat itself.

leisurely feeding on the dead kites and crows, and then left the place

hale and hearty, observing, “The weak benefit by the quarrels of the

mighty.”

INDIAN FABLES

Men of great abilities are slow to act, for it is easier to avoid occasions

for committing yourself than to come well out of a commitment. Such

occasions test your judgment; it is safer to avoid them than to emerge

victorious from them. One obligation leads to a greater one, and you come

very near to the brink of disaster.

Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658

THE EAGLE AND THE SOW

An eagle built a nest on a tree, and hatched out some eaglets. And a

wild sow brought her litter under the tree. The eagle used to fly off after her

prey, and bring it back to her young. And the sow rooted around the tree

and hunted in the woods, and when night came she would bring her young

something to eat. And the eagle and the sow lived in neighborly fashion.

And a grimalkin laid her plans to destroy the eaglets and the little sucking

pigs. She went to the eagle, and said: “Eagle, you had better not fly very far

away. Beware of the sow; she is planning an evil design. She is going to

undermine the roots of the tree. You see she is rooting all the time.” Then

the grimalkin went to the sow and said: “Sow, you have not a good

neighbor. Last evening I heard the eagle saying to her eaglets: 'My dear

little eaglets, I am going to treat you to a nice little pig. Just as soon as the

sow is gone, I will bring you a little young sucking pig.'” From that time the

eagle ceased to fly out after prey, and the sow did not go any more into the

forest. The eaglets and the young pigs perished of starvation, and grimalkin

feasted on them.

FABLES,

Leo Tolstoy, 1828-1910

A great deal changed in Italy during Isabella's reign: Popes came and

went, Cesare Borgia rose and then fell, Venice lost its empire, Milan was

invaded, Florence fell into decline, and Rome was sacked by die Hapsburg

Emperor Charles V. Through all this, tiny Mantua not only survived but

thrived, its court die envy of Italy. Its weakh and sovereignty would remain

intact for a century after Isabella's death, in 1539.

Interpretation

Isabella d'Este understood Italy's political situation with amazing

clarity: Once you took the side of any of the forces in the field, you were

doomed. The powerful would take you over, the weak would wear you

down. Any new alliance would lead to a new enemy, and as this cycle

stirred up more conflict, odier forces would be dragged in, until you could

no longer extricate yourself. Eventually you would collapse from

exhaustion.

Isabella steered her kingdom on the only course that would bring her

safely through. She would not allow herself to lose her head through loyalty

to a duke or a king. Nor would she try to stop the conflict that raged around

herthat would only drag her into it. And in any case the conflict was to her

advantage. If the various parties were fighting to the death, and exhausting

tiiemselves in the process, they were in no position to gobble up Mantua.

The source of Isabella's power was her clever ability to seem interested in

the affairs and interests of each side, while actually committing to no one

but herself and her kingdom.

Once you step into a fight that is not of your own choosing, you lose all

initiative. The combatants' interests become your interests; you become

tiieir tool. Learn to control yourself, to restrain your natural tendency to

take sides and join the fight. Be friendly and charming to each of the

combatants, then step back as tiiey collide. With every battle tiiey grow

weaker, while you grow stronger widi every battle you avoid.

When the snipe and the mussel struggle, the fisherman gets the benefit.

Ancient Chinese saying

KEYS TO POWER

To succeed in the game of power, you have to master your emotions.

But even if you succeed in gaining such self-control, you can never control

die temperamental dispositions of those around you. And tiiis presents a

great danger. Most people operate in a whirlpool of emotions, constantiy

reacting, churning up squabbles and conflicts. Your self-control and

autonomy will only bother and infuriate them. They will try to draw you

into die whirlpool, begging you to take sides in tiieir endless battles, or to

make peace for them. If you succumb to their emotional entreaties, little by

little you will find your mind and time occupied by their problems. Do not

allow whatever compassion and pity you possess to suck you in. You can

never win in tiiis game; die conflicts can only multiply.

On the other hand, you cannot completely stand aside, for diat would

cause needless offense. To play the game properly, you must seem

interested in other people's problems, even sometimes appear to take their

side. But while you make outward gestures of support, you must maintain

your inner energy and sanity by keeping your emotions disengaged. No

matter how hard people try to pull you in, never let your interest in tiieir

affairs and petty squabbles go beyond the surface. Give them gifts, listen

wim a sympathetic look, even occasionally play the charmerbut inwardly

keep both the friendly kings and the perfidious Borgias at arm's length. By

refusing to commit and thus maintaining your autonomy you retain the

initiative: Your moves stay matters of your own choosing, not defensive

reactions to the push-and-pull of those around you.

Slowness to pick up your weapons can be a weapon itself, especially if

you let other people exhaust themselves fighting, then take advantage of

their exhaustion. In ancient China, the kingdom of Chin once invaded the

kingdom of Hsing. Huan, the ruler of a nearby province, thought he should

rush to Hsing's defense, but his adviser counseled him to wait: “Hsing is not

yet going to ruin,” he said, “and Chin is not yet exhausted. If Chin is not

exhausted, [we] cannot become very influential. Moreover, the merit of

supporting a state in danger is not as great as the virtue of reviving a ruined

one.” The adviser's argument won the day, and as he had predicted, Huan

later had the glory bodi of rescuing Hsing from the brink of destruction and

then of conquering an exhausted Chin. He stayed out of the fighting until

the forces engaged in it had worn each other down, at which point it was

safe for him to intervene.

That is what holding back from the fray allows you: time to position

yourself to take advantage of the situation once one side starts to lose. You

can also take the game a step further, by promising your support to both

sides in a conflict while maneuvering so that the one to come out ahead in

the struggle is you. This was what Castruccio Castracani, ruler of the Italian

town of Lucca in the fourteenth century, did when he had designs on the

town of Pistoia. A siege would have been expensive, costing both lives and

money, but Castruccio knew that Pistoia contained two rival factions, the

Blacks and the Whites, which hated one another. He negotiated with die

Blacks, promising to help mem against the Whites; then, without their

knowledge, he promised the Whites he would help them against the Blacks.

And Castruccio kept his promiseshe sent an army to a Black-controlled gate

to the city, which the sentries of course welcomed in. Meanwhile another of

his armies entered through a White-controlled gate. The two armies united

in the middle, occupied the town, killed the leaders of both factions, ended

die internal war, and took Pistoia for Castruccio.

Preserving your autonomy gives you options when people come to

blowsyou can play the mediator, broker the peace, while really securing

your own interests. You can pledge support to one side and the other may

have to court you with a higher bid. Or, like Castruccio, you can appear to

take bodi sides, then play the antagonists against each odier.

Oftentimes when a conflict breaks out, you are tempted to side with the

stronger party, or the one that offers you apparent advantages in an al-

I'HE PRICE OF ENVY

While a poor woman stood in the marketplace selling cheeses, a cat

came along and carried off a cheese. A dog saw the pilferer and tried to take

the cheese away from him. The cat stood up to the dog. So they pitched into

each other. The dog barked and snapped; the cat spat and scratched, but

they could bring the battle to no decision. “Let's go to the fox and have him

referee the matter,” the cat finally suggested.

“Agreed,” said the dog. So they went to the fox. The fox listened to

their arguments with a judicious air.

“Foolish animals,” he chided them, “why carry on like that If both of

you are willing, I'll divide the cheese in two and you'll both be satisfied.”

“Agreed,” said the cat and the dog. So the fox took out his knife and cut

the cheese in two, but, instead of cutting it lengthwise, he cut it in the width.

“My half is smaller!” protested the dog. The fox looked judiciously through

his spectacles at the dog's share.

“You're right, quite right!” he decided. So he went and bit off a piece of

the cat's share.

“That will make it even!” he said. When the cat saw what the fox did

she began to yowl:

"Just look! My part's

smaller now!"

The fox again put on

his spectacles and

looked judiciously at

the cat's share.

“Right you are!” said

the fox. "Just a

moment, and I'll make

it right."

And he went and bit

off a piece from the

dog's cheese

This went on so long,

with the fox nibbling

first at the dog's and

then at the cat's share,

that he finally ate up

the whole cheese before

their eyes.

A TREASURY OH JEWISH I'OLKLORt,

Nathan Ausubel, ed., 1948

liance. This is risky business. First, it is often difficult to foresee which

side will prevail in the long run. But even if you guess right and ally

yourself with the stronger party, you may find yourself swallowed up and

lost, or conveniendy forgotten, when they become victors. Side with the

weaker, on the other hand, and you are doomed. But play a waiting game

and you cannot lose.

In France's July Revolution of 1830, after three days of riots, the

statesman Talleyrand, now elderly, sat by his Paris window, listening to the

pealing bells that signaled the riots were over. Turning to an assistant, he

said, “Ah, the bells! We're winning.” “Who's 'we,' mon prince” the assistant

asked. Gesturing for the man to keep quiet, Talleyrand replied, “Not a

word! I'll tell you who we are tomorrow.” He well knew that only fools rush

into a situationthat by committing too quickly you lose your

maneuverability. People also respect you less: Perhaps tomorrow, they

think, you will commit to another, different cause, since you gave yourself

so easily to this one. Good fortune is a fickle god and will often pass from

one side to the other. Commitment to one side deprives you of the

advantage of time and the luxury of waiting. Let others fall in love with this

group or that; for your part don't rush in, don't lose your head.

Finally, there are occasions when it is wisest to drop all pretence of

appearing supportive and instead to trumpet your independence and self-

reliance. The aristocratic pose of independence is particularly important for

those who need to gain respect. George Washington recognized this in his

work to establish the young American republic on firm ground. As

president, Washington avoided the temptation of making an alliance with

France or England, despite the pressure on him to do so. He wanted the

country to earn the world's respect through its independence. Although a

treaty with France might have helped in the short term, in the long run he

knew it would be more effective to establish the nation's autonomy. Europe

would have to see the United States as an equal power.

Remember: You have only so much energy and so much time. Every

moment wasted on the affairs of others subtracts from your strength. You

may be afraid that people will condemn you as heartless, but in the end,

maintaining your independence and self-reliance will gain you more respect

and place you in a position of power from which you can choose to help

others on your own initiative.

Image: A Thicket of Shrubs. In the forest, one shrub latches on to

another, entangling its neighbor with its thorns, the thicket slowly extending

its impenetrable domain. Only what keeps its distance and stands apart can

grow and rise above the thicket.

Authority: Regard it as more courageous not to become involved in an

engagement than to win in battle, and where there is already one interfering

fool, take care that there shall not be two. (Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)

REVERSAL

Both parts of this law will turn against you if you take it too far. The

game proposed here is delicate and difficult. If you play too many parties

against one another, they will see through the maneuver and will gang up on

you. If you keep your growing number of suitors waiting too long, you will

inspire not desire but distrust. People will start to lose interest. Eventually

you may find it worthwhile to commit to one sideif only for appearances'

sake, to prove you are capable of attachment.

Even men, however, the key will be to maintain your inner

independenceto keep yourself from getting emotionally involved. Preserve

the unspoken option of being able to leave at any moment and reclaim your

freedom if the side you are allied with starts to collapse. The friends you

made while you were being courted will give you plenty of places to go

once you jump ship.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 21

PLAY A SUCKER TO CATCH

A SUCKERSEEM DUMBER

THAN YOUR MARK

JUDGMENT

No one likes feeling stupider than the next person. The

trick, then, is to make your victims feel smartand not

just smart, but smarter than you are. Once convinced of

this, they will never suspect that you may have ulterior

motives.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

In the winter of 1872, the U.S. financier Asbury Harpending was

visiting London when he received a cable: A diamond mine had been

discovered in the American West. The cable came from a reliable

sourceWilliam Ralston, owner of the Bank of Californiabut Harpending

nevertheless took it as a practical joke, probably inspired by the recent

discovery of huge diamond mines in South Africa. True, when reports had

first come in of gold being discovered in the western United States,

everyone had been skeptical, and those had turned out to be true. But a

diamond mine in the West! Harpending showed the cable to his fellow

financier Baron Rothschild (one of the richest men in the world), saying it

must be a joke. The baron, however, replied, “Don't be too sure about that.

America is a very large country. It has furnished the world with many

surprises already. Perhaps it has others in store.” Harpending prompdy took

the first ship back to the States.

When Harpending reached San Francisco, tiiere was an excitement in

the air recalling the Gold Rush days of the late 1840s. Two crusty

prospectors named Philip Arnold and John Slack had been the ones to find

the diamond mine. They had not divulged its location, in Wyoming, but had

led a highly respected mining expert to it several weeks back, taking a

circular route so he could not guess his whereabouts. Once there, the expert

had watched as die miners dug up diamonds. Back in San Francisco the

expert had taken die gems to various jewelers, one of whom had estimated

tfieir worth at $1.5 million.

Harpending and Ralston now asked Arnold and Slack to accompany

them back to New York, where the jeweler Charles Tiffany would verify the

original estimates. The prospectors responded uneasilythey smelled a trap:

How could tiiey trust diese city slickers What if Tiffany and the financiers

managed to steal die whole mine out from under them Ralston tried to allay

their fears by giving them $100,000 and placing another $300,000 in

escrow for them. If the deal went through, they would be paid an additional

$300,000. The miners agreed.

The litde group traveled to New York, where a meeting was held at die

mansion of Samuel L. Barlow. The cream of the city's aristocracy was in

attendanceGeneral George Brinton McClellan, commander of the Union

forces in the Civil War; General Benjamin Buder; Horace Greeley, editor of

the newspaper the New York Tribune; Harpending; Ralston; and Tiffany.

Only Slack and Arnold were missingas tourists in the city, they had decided

to go sight-seeing.

When Tiffany announced diat the gems were real and worth a fortune,

the financiers could barely control dieir excitement. They wired Roth-schild

and other tycoons to tell them about the diamond mine and inviting them to

share in the investment. At the same time, they also told the prospectors that

they wanted one more test: They insisted tiiat a mining expert of their

choosing accompany Slack and Arnold to the site to verify its weahh. The

prospectors reluctandy agreed. In the meantime, diey said,

Now, there is nothing of which a man is prouder than of intellectual

ability, for it is this that gives him his commanding place in the animal

world. It is an exceedingly rash thing to let anyone see that you are

decidedly superior to him in this respect, and to let other people see it too....

Hence, while rank and riches may always reckon upon deferential treatment

in society, that is something which intellectual ability can never expect: To

be ignored is the greatest favour shown to it; and if people notice it at all, it

is because they regard it as a piece of impertinence, or else as something to

which its possessor has no legitimate right, and upon which he dares to

pride himself; and in retaliation and revenge for his conduct, people secretly

try and humiliate him in some other way; and if they wait to do this, it is

only for a fitting opportunity. A man may be as humble as possible in his

demeanour, and yet hardly ever get people to overlook his crime in standing

intellectually above them. In the Garden of Roses, Sadi makes the remark:

“You should know that foolish people are a hundredfold more averse to

meeting the wise than the wise are indisposed for the company of the

foolish.”

On the other hand, it is a real recommendation to be stupid. For just as

warmth is agreeable to the body, so it does the mind good to feel its

superiority; and a man will seek company likely to give him this feeling, as

instinctively as he will approach the fireplace or walk in the sun if he wants

to get warm. But this means that he will be disliked on account of his

superiority; and if a man is to be liked, he must really be inferior in point of

intellect.

Arthur

schopeniiauhr,

1788-1860

they had to return to San Francisco. The jewels that Tiffany had

examined they left with Harpending for safekeeping.

Several weeks later, a man named Louis Janin, the best mining expert in

the country, met the prospectors in San Francisco. Janin was a born skeptic

who was determined to make sure that the mine was not a fraud.

Accompanying Janin were Harpending, and several other interested

financiers. As with the previous expert, the prospectors led the team

through a complex series of canyons, completely confusing them as to their

whereabouts. Arriving at the site, the financiers watched in amazement as

Janin dug the area up, leveling anthills, turning over boulders, and finding

emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and most of all diamonds. The dig lasted eight

days, and by the end, Janin was convinced: He told the investors that they

now possessed the richest field in mining history. “With a hundred men and

proper machinery,” he told them, “I would guarantee to send out one

million dollars in diamonds every thirty days.”

Returning to San Francisco a few days later, Ralston, Harpending, and

company acted fast to form a $10 million corporation of private investors.

First, however, they had to get rid of Arnold and Slack. That meant hiding

their excitementthey certainly did not want to reveal the field's real value.

So they played possum. Who knows if Janin is right, they told the

prospectors, the mine may not be as rich as we think. This just made the

prospectors angry. Trying a different tactic, the financiers told the two men

that if they insisted on having shares in the mine, they would end up being

fleeced by the unscrupulous tycoons and investors who would run the

corporation; better, they said, to take the $700,000 already offeredan

enormous sum at the timeand put their greed aside. This the prospectors

seemed to understand, and they finally agreed to take the money, in return

signing the rights to the site over to the financiers, and leaving maps to it.

News of the mine spread like wildfire. Prospectors fanned out across

Wyoming. Meanwhile Harpending and group began spending the millions

they had collected from their investors, buying equipment, hiring the best

men in the business, and furnishing luxurious offices in New York and San

Francisco.

A few weeks later, on their first trip back to the site, they learned the

hard trutii: Not a single diamond or ruby was to be found. It was all a fake.

They were ruined. Harpending had unwittingly lured the richest men in the

world into the biggest scam of the century.

Interpretation

Arnold and Slack pulled off their stupendous con not by using a fake

engineer or bribing Tiffany: All of the experts had been real. All of them

honestly believed in the existence of the mine and in the value of the gems.

What had fooled them all was nothing else than Arnold and Slack

themselves. The two men seemed to be such rubes, such hayseeds, so naive,

that no one for an instant had believed them capable of an audacious scam.

The prospectors had simply observed the law of appearing more stupid than

the markthe deceiver's First Commandment.

The logistics of the con were quite simple. Months before Arnold and

Slack announced the “discovery” of the diamond mine, they traveled to

Europe, where they purchased some real gems for around $12,000 (part of

the money they had saved from their days as gold miners). They then salted

the “mine” with these gems, which the first expert dug up and brought to

San Francisco. The jewelers who had appraised these stones, including

Tiffany himself, had gotten caught up in the fever and had grossly

overestimated their value. Then Ralston gave the prospectors $100,000 as

security, and immediately after their trip to New York they simply went to

Amsterdam, where they bought sacks of uncut gems, before returning to

San Francisco. The second time they salted the mine, there were many more

jewels to be found.

The effectiveness of the scheme, however, rested not on tricks like these

but on the fact that Arnold and Slack played their parts to perfection. On

their trip to New York, where they mingled with millionaires and tycoons,

they played up their clodhopper image, wearing pants and coats a size or

two too small and acting incredulous at everything they saw in the big city.

No one believed that these country simpletons could possibly be conning

the most devious, unscrupulous financiers of the time. And once

Harpending, Ralston, and even Rothschild accepted the mine's existence,

anyone who doubted it was questioning the intelligence of the world's most

successful businessmen.

In the end, Harpending's reputation was ruined and he never recovered;

Rothschild learned his lesson and never fell for another con; Slack took his

money and disappeared from view, never to be found. Arnold simply went

home to Kentucky. After all, his sale of his mining rights had been

legitimate; the buyers had taken the best advice, and if the mine had run out

of diamonds, that was their problem. Arnold used the money to greatly

enlarge his farm and open up a bank of his own.

KEYS TO POWER

The feeling that someone else is more intelligent than we are is almost

intolerable. We usually try to justify it in different ways: “He only has book

knowledge, whereas I have real knowledge.” “Her parents paid for her to

get a good education. If my parents had had as much money, if I had been

as privileged.. . .” “He's not as smart as he thinks.” Last but not least: “She

may know her narrow little field better than I do, but beyond that she's

really not smart at all. Even Einstein was a boob outside physics.”

Given how important the idea of intelligence is to most people's vanity,

it is critical never inadvertendy to insult or impugn a person's brain power.

That is an unforgivable sin. But if you can make this iron rule work for you,

it opens up all sorts of avenues of deception. Subliminally reassure people

that they are more intelligent than you are, or even that you are a bit of a

moron, and you can run rings around them. The feeling of intellectual

superiority you give them will disarm their suspicion-muscles.

In 1865 the Prussian councillor Otto von Bismarck wanted Austria to

sign a certain treaty. The treaty was totally in the interests of Prussia and

against the interests of Austria, and Bismarck would have to strategize to

get the Austrians to agree to it. But the Austrian negotiator, Count Blome,

was an avid cardplayer. His particular game was quinze, and he often said

mat he could judge a man's character by the way he played quinze.

Bismarck knew of tiiis saying of Blome's.

The night before the negotiations were to begin, Bismarck innocendy

engaged Blome in a game of quinze. The Prussian would later write, “That

was the very last time I ever played quinze. I played so recklessly that

everyone was astonished. I lost several diousand talers [the currency of the

time], but I succeeded in fooling [Blome], for he believed me to be more

venturesome than I am and I gave way.” Besides appearing reckless,

Bismarck also played the widess fool, saying ridiculous tilings and

bumbling about with a surplus of nervous energy.

All this made Blome feel he had gathered valuable information. He

knew mat Bismarck was aggressivethe Prussian already had that reputation,

and the way he played had confirmed it. And aggressive men, Blome knew,

can be foolish And rash. Accordingly, when the time came to sign the

treaty, Blome thought he had the advantage. A heedless fool like Bismarck,

he thought, is incapable of cold-blooded calculation and deception, so he

only glanced at the treaty before signing ithe failed to read the fine print. As

soon as the ink was dry, a joyous Bismarck exclaimed in his face, “Well, I

could never have believed that I should find an Austrian diplomat willing to

sign that document!”

The Chinese have a phrase, “Masquerading as a swine to kill the tiger.”

This refers to an ancient hunting technique in which the hunter clothes

himself in the hide and snout of a pig, and mimics its grunting. The mighty

tiger thinks a pig is coming his way, and lets it get close, savoring the

prospect of an easy meal. But it is the hunter who has the last laugh.

Masquerading as a swine works wonders on those who, like tigers, are

arrogant and overconfident: The easier they think it is to prey on you, the

more easily you can turn the tables. This trick is also useful if you are

ambitious yet find yourself low in the hierarchy: Appearing less intelligent

than you are, even a bit of a fool, is the perfect disguise. Look like a

harmless pig and no one will believe you harbor dangerous ambitions. They

may even promote you since you seem so likable, and subservient. Claudius

before he became emperor of Rome, and the prince of France who later

became Louis XIII, used this tactic when those above them suspected they

might have designs on the dirone. By playing die fool as young men, diey

were left alone. When the time came for them to strike, and to act with

vigor and decisiveness, they caught everyone off-guard.

Intelligence is the obvious quality to downplay, but why stop there Taste

and sophistication rank close to intelligence on die vanity scale; make

people feel they are more sophisticated tiian you are and dieir guard will

come down. As Arnold and Slack knew, an air of complete naivete can

work wonders. Those fancy financiers were laughing at diem behind their

backs, but who laughed loudest in the end In general, men, always make

people believe they are smarter and more sophisticated than you are. They

will keep you around because you make them feel better about themselves,

and the longer you are around, the more opportunities you will have to

deceive them.

Image:

The Opossum. In playing

dead, the opossum plays stupid.

Many a predator has therefore left it

alone. Who could believe that such an

ugly, unintelligent, nervous little creature

could be capable of such deception

Authority: Know how to make use of stupidity: The wisest man plays

this card at times. There are occasions when the highest wisdom consists in

appearing not to knowyou must not be ignorant but capable of playing it. It

is not much good being wise among fools and sane among lunatics. He who

poses as a fool is not a fool. The best way to be well received by all is to

clothe yourself in the skin of the dumbest of brutes. (Baltasar Gracian,

1601-1658)

REVERSAL

To reveal the true nature of your intelligence rarely pays; you should get

in the habit of downplaying it at all times. If people inadvertently learn the

truththat you are actually much smarter than you lookthey will admire you

more for being discreet than for making your brilliance show. At the start of

your climb to the top, of course, you cannot play too stupid: You may want

to let your bosses know, in a subtle way, that you are smarter than the

competition around you. As you climb the ladder, however, you should to

some degree try to dampen your brilliance.

There is, however, one situation where it pays to do the opposite when

you can cover up a deception with a show of intelligence. In matters of

smarts as in most things, appearances are what count. If you seem to have

authority and knowledge, people will believe what you say. This can be

very useful in getting you out of a scrape.

The art dealer Joseph Duveen was once attending a soiree at the New

York home of a tycoon to whom he had recently sold a Diirer painting for

a high price. Among die guests was a young French art critic who

seemed extremely knowledgeable and confident. Wanting to impress this

man, the tycoon's daughter showed him the Diirer, which had not yet been

hung. The critic studied it for a time, then finally said, “You know, I don't

think this Diirer is right.” He followed the young woman as she hurried to

tell her father what he had said, and listened as the magnate, deeply

unsetded, turned to Duveen for reassurance. Duveen just laughed. “How

very amusing,” he said. “Do you realize, young man, that at least twenty

other art experts here and in Europe have been taken in too, and have said

that painting isn't genuine And now you've made the same mistake.” His

confident tone and air of authority intimidated the Frenchman, who

apologized for his mistake.

Duveen knew that the art market was flooded with fakes, and that many

paintings had been falsely ascribed to old masters. He tried his best to

distinguish the real from the fake, but in his zeal to sell he often overplayed

a work's authenticity. What mattered to him was that the buyer believed he

had bought a Diirer, and that Duveen himself convinced everyone of his

“expertness” through his air of irreproachable authority. Thus, it is

important to be able to play the professor when necessary and never impose

such an attitude for its own sake.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 22

USE THE SURRENDER

TACTIC: TRANSFORM

WEAKNESS INTO POWER

JUDGMENT

When you are weaker, never fight for honor's sake; choose surrender

instead. Surrender gives you time to recover, time to torment and irritate

your conqueror, time to wait for his power to wane. Do not give him the

satisfaction of fighting and defeating yousurrender first. By turning the

other cheek you infuriate and unsettle him. Make surrender a tool of power.

A man who had climbed upon a certain fig tree, was bending the boughs

toward him and plucking the ripe fruit, which he then put into his mouth to

destroy and gnaw with his hard teeth. The chestnut, seeing this, tossed its

long branches and with tumultuous rustle exclaimed: “Oh Fig! How much

less protected by nature you are than I. See how my sweet offspring are set

In close array; first clothed in soft wrappers over which is the hard but

softly lined husk. And not content with this much care, nature has also

given us these, sharp and close-set spines, so that the hand of man cannot

hurt us.” Then the fig tree began to laugh, and after the laughter it said:

“You know well that man is of such ingenuity that he will bereave even you

of your children. But in your case he will do it by means of rods and stones;

and when they are felled he will trample them with his feet or hit them with

stones, so that your offspring will emerge from their armor crushed and

maimed; while I am touched carefully by his hands, and never, like you,

with roughness.”

Leonardo daVinci, 1452-1519

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

The island of Melos is strategically situated in the heart of the

Mediterranean. In classical times, die city of Adiens dominated die sea and

coastal areas around Greece, but Sparta, in the Peloponnese, had been

Melos's original colonizer. During the Peloponnesian War, dien, the Melians

refused to ally diemselves with Athens and remained loyal to Mother

Sparta. In 416 B.C. the Athenians sent an expedition against Melos. Before

launching an all-out attack, however, they dispatched a delegation to

persuade die Melians to surrender and become an ally rather than suffer

devastation and defeat.

“You know as well as we do,” the delegates said, “mat die standard of

justice depends on die equality of power to compel, and diat in fact die

strong do what diey have die power to do and the weak accept what diey

have to accept.” When the Melians responded that this denied the notion of

fair play, the Athenians said that those in power determined what was fair

and what was not. The Melians argued diat diis audiority belonged to die

gods, not to mortals. “Our opinion of die gods and our knowledge of men,”

replied a member of the Athenian delegation, “lead us to conclude diat it is

a general and necessary law of nature to rule whatever one can.”

The Melians would not budge. Sparta, they insisted, would come to

their defense. The Athenians countered that die Spartans were a

conservative, practical people, and would not help Melos because they had

nothing to gain and a lot to lose by doing so.

Finally the Melians began to talk of honor and die principle of resisting

brute force. “Do not be led astray by a false sense of honor,” said die Atiie-

nians. “Honor often brings men to ruin when they are faced widi an obvious

danger that somehow affects their pride. There is nothing disgraceful in

giving way to the greatest city in Hellas when she is offering you such

reasonable terms.” The debate ended. The Melians discussed die issue

among diemselves, and decided to trust in die aid of the Spartans, the will

of the gods, and the lightness of their cause. They politely declined the

Athenians' offer.

A few days later the Athenians invaded Melos. The Melians fought

nobly, even without the Spartans, who did not come to their rescue. It took

several attempts before the Adienians could surround and besiege their

main city, but the Melians finally surrendered. The Athenians wasted no

timethey put to death all die men of military age diat they could capture,

diey sold die women and children as slaves, and diey repopulated die island

widi their own colonists. Only a handful of Melians survived.

Interpretation

The Athenians were one of the most eminently practical people in

history, and diey made die most practical argument they could with the

Melians: When you are weaker, tiiere is nothing to be gained by fighting a

useless fight. No one comes to help the weakby doing so uiey would only

put diemselves in jeopardy. The weak are alone and must submit. Fighting

gives you nothing to gain but martyrdom, and in the process a lot of

people who do not believe in your cause will die.

Weakness is no sin, and can even become a strength if you learn how to

play it right. Had the Melians surrendered in the first place, they would

have been able to sabotage the Athenians in subtle ways, or might have

gotten what they could have out of the alliance and then left it when the

Athenians themselves were weakened, as in fact happened several years

later. Fortunes change and the mighty are often brought down. Surrender

conceals great power: Lulling the enemy into complacency, it gives you

time to recoup, time to undermine, time for revenge. Never sacrifice that

time in exchange for honor in a battle that you cannot win.

Weak people never give way when they ought to. Cardinal de Retz,

1613-1679

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

Sometime in the 1920s the German writer Bertolt Brecht became a

convert to the cause of Communism. From then on his plays, essays, and

poems reflected his revolutionary fervor, and he generally tried to make his

ideological statements as clear as possible. When Hitler came to power in

Germany, Brecht and his Communist colleagues became marked men. He

had many friends in the United StatesAmericans who sympatiiized with his

beliefs, as well as fellow German intellectuals who had fled Hider. In 1941,

accordingly, Brecht emigrated to the United States, and chose to settle in

Los Angeles, where he hoped to make a living in the film business.

Over the next few years Brecht wrote screenplays with a pointedly an-

ticapitalist slant. He had little success in Hollywood, so in 1947, the war

having ended, he decided to return to Europe. That same year, however, the

U.S. Congress's House Un-American Activities Committee began its

investigation into supposed Communist infiltration in Hollywood. It began

to gather information on Brecht, who had so openly espoused Marxism, and

on September 19, 1947, only a month before he had planned to leave the

United States, he received a subpoena to appear before the committee. In

addition to Brecht, a number of other writers, producers, and directors were

summoned to appear as well, and this group came to be known as the

Hollywood 19.

Before going to Washington, the Hollywood 19 met to decide on a plan

of action. Their approach would be confrontational. Instead of answering

questions about their membership, or lack of it, in the Communist Party,

they would read prepared statements that would challenge the aumority of

the committee and argue that its activities were unconstitutional. Even if

this strategy meant imprisonment, it would gain publicity for their cause.

Brecht disagreed. What good was it, he asked, to play the martyr and

gain a litde public sympathy if in the process they lost the ability to stage

their plays and sell their scripts for years to come He felt certain they were

Voltaire was living in exile in London at a time when anti-French

sentiment was at its highest. One day walking through the streets, he found

himself surrounded by an angry crowd. “Hang him. Hang the Frenchman, ”

they yelled. Voltaire calmly addressed the mob with the following words:

“Men of England! You wish to kill me because 1 am a Frenchman. Am I

not punished enough in not being born an Englishman” The crowd cheered

his thoughtful words, and escorted him safely back to his lodgings.

the little, brown book of anecdotes, Clifton Fadiman, ed., 1985

all more intelligent than the members of the committee. Why lower

themselves to the level of tfieir opponents by arguing widi them Why not

outfox the committee by appearing to surrender to it while subdy mocking

it The Hollywood 19 listened to Brecht politely, but decided to stick to their

plan, leaving Brecht to go his own way.

The committee finally summoned Brecht on October 30. They expected

him to do what others among the Hollywood 19 who had testified before

him had done: Argue, refuse to answer questions, challenge the committee's

right to hold its hearing, even yell and hurl insults. Much to dieir surprise,

however, Brecht was the very picture of congeniality. He wore a suit

(something he rarely did), smoked a cigar (he had heard that the committee

chairman was a passionate cigar smoker), answered their questions politely,

and generally deferred to their authority.

Unlike the other witnesses, Brecht answered the question of whether he

belonged to the Communist Party: He was not a member, he said, which

happened to be the truth. One committee member asked him, “Is it true you

have written a number of revolutionary plays” Brecht had written many

plays with overt Communist messages, but he responded, “I have written a

number of poems and songs and plays in the fight against Hider and, of

course, diey can be considered, therefore, as revolutionary because I, of

course, was for the overthrow of that government.” This statement went

unchallenged.

Brecht's English was more than adequate, but he used an interpreter

throughout his testimony, a tactic that allowed him to play subde games

with language. When committee members found Communist leanings in

lines from English editions of his poems, he would repeat the lines in

German for the interpreter, who would then retranslate them; and somehow

they would cjome out innocuous. At one point a committee member read

one of Brecht's revolutionary poems out loud in English, and asked him if

he had written it. “No,” he responded, “I wrote a German poem, which is

very different from this.” The audior's elusive answers baffled the

committee members, but his politeness and the way he yielded to their

authority made it impossible for them to get angry with him.

After only an hour of questioning, the committee members had had

enough. “Thank you very much,” said the chairman, “You are a good

example to the [other] witnesses.” Not only did diey free him, diey offered

to help him if he had any trouble with immigration officials who might

detain him for their own reasons. The following day, Brecht left the United

States, never to return.

Interpretation

The Hollywood 19's confrontational approach won them a lot of

sympathy, and years later they gained a kind of vindication in public

opinion. But they were also blacklisted, and lost valuable years of profitable

working time. Brecht, on the other hand, expressed his disgust at the

committee more indirectiy. It was not that he changed his beliefs or

compromised his values; instead, during his short testimony, he kept die

upper hand by ap-

pearing to yield while all the time running circles around the committee

with vague responses, outright lies that went unchallenged because they

were wrapped in enigmas, and word games. In the end he kept die freedom

to continue his revolutionary writing (as opposed to suffering imprisonment

or detainment in die United States), even while subdy mocking die

committee and its authority with his pseudo-obedience.

Keep in mind die following: People trying to make a show of their

authority are easily deceived by die surrender tactic. Your outward sign of

submission makes diem feel important; satisfied that you respect them, they

become easier targets for a later counterattack, or for the kind of indirect

ridicule used by Brecht. Measuring your power over time, never sacrifice

long-term maneuverability for the short-lived glories of martyrdom.

When the great lord passes, the wise peasant bows deeply and silently

farts.

Ethiopian proverb

KEYS TO POWER

What gets us into trouble in the realm of power is often our own

overreac-tion to the moves of our enemies and rivals. That overreaction

creates problems we would have avoided had we been more reasonable. It

also has an endless rebound effect, for die enemy then overreacts as well,

much as die Athenians did to die Melians. It is always our first instinct to

react, to meet aggression with some other kind of aggression. But die next

time someone pushes you and you find yourself starting to react, try this:

Do not resist or fight back, but yield, turn die odier cheek, bend. You will

find tiiat this often neutralizes dieir behaviorthey expected, even wanted

you to react with force and so diey are caught off-guard and confounded by

your lack of resistance. By yielding, you in fact control the situation,

because your surrender is part of a larger plan to lull them into believing

they have defeated you.

This is die essence of the surrender tactic: Inwardly you stay firm, but

outwardly you bend. Deprived of a reason to get angry, your opponents will

often be bewildered instead. And diey are unlikely to react with more

violence, which would demand a reaction from you. Instead you are

allowed the time and space to plot the countermoves that will bring them

down. In die battle of die intelligent against die brutal and die aggressive,

the surrender tactic is die supreme weapon. It does require self-control:

Those who genuinely surrender give up their freedom, and may be crushed

by the humiliation of their defeat. You have to remember that you only

appear to surrender, like the animal that plays dead to save its hide.

We have seen diat it can be better to surrender than to fight; faced witii

a more powerful opponent and a sure defeat, it is often also better to

surrender than to run away. Running away may save you for the time being,

but the aggressor will eventually catch up with you. If you surrender

instead, you have an opportunity to coil around your enemy and strike with

your fangs from close up.

In 473 B.C., in ancient China, King Goujian of Yue suffered a horrible

defeat from the ruler of Wu in the battle of Fujiao. Goujian wanted to flee,

but he had an adviser who told him to surrender and to place himself in the

service of the ruler of Wu, from which position he could study the man and

plot his revenge. Deciding to follow this advice, Goujian gave the ruler all

of his riches, and went to work in his conqueror's stables as the lowest

servant. For three years he humbled himself before the ruler, who then,

finally satisfied of his loyalty, allowed him to return home. Inwardly,

however, Goujian had spent those three years gathering information and

plotting revenge. When a terrible drought struck Wu, and the kingdom was

weakened by inner turmoil, he raised an army, invaded, and won with ease.

That is the power behind surrender: It gives you the time and the flexibility

to plot a devastating counterblow. Had Goujian run away, he would have

lost this chance.

When foreign trade began to threaten Japanese independence in the

mid-nineteenth century, die Japanese debated how to defeat the foreigners.

One minister, Hotta Masayoshi, wrote a memorandum in 1857 that

influenced Japanese policy for years to come: “I am therefore convinced

that our policy should be to conclude friendly alliances, to send ships to

foreign countries everywhere and conduct trade, to copy the foreigners

where they are at their best and so repair our own shortcomings, to foster

our national strength and complete our armaments, and so gradually subject

the foreigners to our influence until in the end all the countries of the world

know the blessings of perfect tranquillity and our hegemony is

acknowledged throughout the globe.” This is a brilliant application of the

Law: Use surrender to gain access to your enemy. Learn his ways, insinuate

yourself with him slowly, outwardly conform to his customs, but inwardly

maintain your own culture. Eventually you will emerge victorious, for while

he considers you weak and inferior, and takes no precautions against you,

you are using the time to catch up and surpass him. This soft, permeable

form of invasion is often the best, for the enemy has nothing to react

against, prepare for, or resist. And had Japan resisted Western influence by

force, it might well have suffered a devastating invasion that would have

permanendy altered its culture.

Surrender can also offer a way of mocking your enemies, of turning

their power against them, as it did for Brecht. Milan Kundera's novel The

Joke, based on the author's experiences in a penal camp in Czechoslovakia,

tells the story of how the prison guards organized a relay race, guards

against prisoners. For the guards this was a chance to show off their

physical superiority. The prisoners knew they were expected to lose, so they

went out of their way to obligemiming exaggerated exertion while barely

moving, running a few yards and collapsing, limping, jogging ever so

slowly while the guards raced ahead at full speed. Both by joining the race

and by losing it, they had obliged the guards obediently; but their

“overobedience” had mocked the event to the point of ruining it. Overobe-

diencesurrenderwas here a way to demonstrate superiority in a reverse

manner. Resistance would have engaged the prisoners in the cycle of

violence, lowering them to the guards' level. Overobeying the guards,

however, made them ridiculous, yet they could not righdy punish the

prisoners, who had only done what they asked.

Power is always in fluxsince the game is by nature fluid, and an arena of

constant struggle, those with power almost always find themselves

eventually on the downward swing. If you find yourself temporarily

weakened, the surrender tactic is perfect for raising yourself up againit

disguises your ambition; it teaches you patience and self-control, key skills

in the game; and it puts you in the best possible position for taking

advantage of your oppressor's sudden slide. If you run away or fight back,

in die long run you cannot win. If you surrender, you will almost always

emerge victorious.

Image: An Oak Tree. The oak that resists the wind loses its branches

one by one, and with nothing left to protect it, the trunk finally snaps. The

oak that bends lives longer, its trunk growing wider, its roots deeper and

more tenacious.

Authority: Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye and a

tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever

shall smite thee on titiy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any

man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let them have thy

cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him

twain. (Jesus Christ, in Matthew 5:38-41)

REVERSAL

The point of surrendering is to save your hide for a later date when you

can reassert yourself. It is precisely to avoid martyrdom that one surrenders,

but there are times when the enemy will not relent, and martyrdom seems

the only way out. Furthermore, if you are willing to die, others may gain

power and inspiration from your example.

Yet martyrdom, surrender's reversal, is a messy, inexact tactic, and is as

violent as die aggression it combats. For every famous martyr there are

thousands more who have inspired neither a religion nor a rebellion, so that

if martyrdom does sometimes grant a certain power, it does so

unpredictably. More important, you will not be around to enjoy that power,

such as it is. And there is finally something selfish and arrogant about

martyrs, as if they felt their followers were less important than their own

glory.

When power deserts you, it is best to ignore this Law's reversal. Leave

martyrdom alone: The pendulum will swing back your way eventually, and

you should stay alive to see it.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 23

CONCENTRATE YOUR FORCES

JUDGMENT

Conserve your forces and energies by keeping them concentrated at

their strongest point. You gain more by finding a rich mine and mining it

deeper, than by flitting from one shallow mine to anotherintensity defeats

extensity every time. When looking for sources of power to elevate you,

find the one key patron, the fat cow who will give you milk for a long time

to come.

Tin: cookk and

THE IJOHSK

A goose who was

plucking grass upon a

common thought

herself affronted by a

horse who fed near her;

and, in hissing accents,

thus addressed him: "I

am certainly a more

noble and perfect

animal than you, for

the whole range and

extent of your faculties

is confined to one

element. I can walk

upon the ground as

well as you; I have,

besides, wings, with

which I can raise

myself in the air; and

when I please, I can

sport on ponds and

lakes, and refr¡.sh

myself in the iol

waters. I enjoy the

different powers of a

bird, a fish, and a

quadruped."

The horse, snorting

somewhat disdainfully,

replied: "It is true you

inhabit three elements,

but you make no very

distinguished figure in

any one of them. You

fly, indeed; but your

flight is so heavy and

clumsy, that you have

no right to put yourself

on a level with the lark

or the swallow. You can

swim on the surface of

the waters, but you

cannot live in them as

fishes do; you cannot

find your food in that

element, nor glide

smoothly along the

bottom of the waves.

And when you walk, or

rather waddle, upon

the ground, with your

broad feet and your

long neck stretched out,

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

In China in the early sixth century B.C., the kingdom of Wu began a

war with the neighboring northern provinces of the Middle Kingdom. Wu

was a growing power, but it lacked the great history and civilization of the

Middle Kingdom, for centuries die center of Chinese culture. By defeating

the Middle Kingdom, the king of Wu would instantly raise his status.

The war began with great fanfare and several victories, but it soon

bogged down. A victory on one front would leave the Wu armies vulnerable

on another. The king's chief minister and adviser, Wu Tzu-hsiu, warned him

that the barbarous state of Yueh, to the south, was beginning to notice the

kingdom of Wu's problems and had designs to invade. The king only

laughed at such worriesone more big victory and the great Middle Kingdom

would be his.

In the year 490, Wu Tzu-hsiu sent his son away to safety in the kingdom

of Ch'i. In doing so he sent the king a signal that he disapproved of the war,

and that he believed the king's selfish ambition was leading Wu to ruin. The

king, sensing betrayal, lashed out at his minister, accusing him of a lack of

loyalty and, in a fit of anger, ordered him to kill himself. Wu Tzu-hsiu

obeyed his king, but before he plunged the knife into his chest, he cried,

“Tear out my eyes, oh King, and fix them on the gate of Wu, so that I may

see the triumphant entry of Yueh.”

As Wu Tzu-hsiu had predicted, within a few years a Yueh army passed

beneath the gate of Wu. As the barbarians surrounded the palace, the king

remembered his minister's last wordsand felt the dead man's disembodied

eyes watching his disgrace. Unable to bear his shame, the king killed

himself, “covering his face so that he would not have to meet the

reproachful gaze of his minister in the next world.”

Interpretation

The story of Wu is a paradigm of all the empires that have come to ruin

by overreaching. Drunk with success and sick with ambition, such empires

expand to grotesque proportions and meet a ruin that is total. This is what

happened to ancient Athens, which lusted for the faraway island of Sicily

and ended up losing its empire. The Romans stretched the boundaries of

their empire to encompass vast territories; in doing so they increased their

vulnerability, and the chances of invasion from yet another barbarian tribe.

Their useless expansion led their empire into oblivion.

For the Chinese, the fate of the kingdom of Wu serves as an elemental

lesson on what happens when you dissipate your forces on several fronts,

losing sight of distant dangers for the sake of present gain. “If you are not in

danger,” says Sun-tzu, “do not fight.” It is almost a physical law: What is

bloated beyond its proportions inevitably collapses. The mind must not

wander from goal to goal, or be distracted by success from its sense of

purpose and proportion. What is concentrated, coherent, and connected to

its past has power. What is dissipated, divided, and distended rots and falls

to the ground. The bigger it bloats, the harder it falls.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

The Rothschild banking family had humble beginnings in the Jewish

ghetto of Frankfurt, Germany. The city's harsh laws made it impossible for

Jews to mingle outside the ghetto, but the Jews had turned this into a

virtueit made them self-reliant, and zealous to preserve their culture at all

costs. Mayer Amschel, the first of the Rothschilds to accumulate wealth by

lending money, in the late eighteenth century, well understood the power

that comes from this kind of concentration and cohesion.

First, Mayer Amschel allied himself witii one family, the powerful

princes of Thurn und Taxis. Instead of spreading his services out, he made

himself these princes' primary banker. Second, he entrusted none of his

business to outsiders, using only his children and close relatives. The more

unified and tight-knit the family, the more powerful it would become. Soon

Mayer Amschel's five sons were running the business. And when Mayer

Amschel lay dying, in 1812, he refused to name a principal heir, instead

setting up all of his sons to continue the family tradition, so that they would

stay united and would resist the dangers of diffusion and of infiltration by

outsiders.

Once Mayer Amschel's sons controlled the family business, they

decided mat the key to wealth on a larger scale was to secure a foothold in

die finances of Europe as a whole, rather tiian being tied to any one country

or prince. Of the five brothers, Nathan had already opened up shop in

London. In 1813 James moved to Paris. Amschel remained in Frankfurt,

Salomon established himself in Vienna, and Karl, the youngest son, went to

Naples. With each sphere of influence covered, they could tighten their hold

on Europe's financial markets.

This widespread network, of course, opened the Rodischilds to the very

danger of which their fadier had warned mem: diffusion, division,

dissension. They avoided mis danger, and established themselves as the

most powerful force in European finance and politics, by once again

resorting to the strategy of the ghettoexcluding outsiders, concentrating

their forces. The Rothschilds established the fastest courier system in

Europe, allowing them to get news of events before all their competitors.

They held a virtual monopoly on information. And their internal

communications and correspondence were written in Frankfurt Yiddish, and

in a code that only the brothers could decipher. There was no point in

stealing mis information no one could understand it. “Even the shewdest

bankers cannot find their way through the Rothschild maze,” admitted a

financier who had tried to infiltrate the clan.

In 1824 James Rothschild decided it was time to get married. This

presented a problem for the Rothschilds, since it meant incorporating an

outsider into the Rothschild clan, an outsider who could betray its secrets.

James therefore decided to marry within the family, and chose the daughter

of his brother Salomon. The brothers were ecstaticthis was the perfect

solution to their marriage problems. James's choice now became the family

policy: Two years later, Nathan married off his daughter to

hissing at everyone who passes by, you bring upon yourself the derision

of all beholders. 1 confess that I am only formed to move upon the ground;

but how graceful is my make! How well turned my limbs! How highly

finished my whole body! How great my strength! How astonishing my

speed! I had much rather be confined to one element, and be admired in

that, than be a goose in all!"

FABLES FROM BOCCACCIO AND CHAUCER,

Dr. John Aikin, 1747-1822

Beware of dissipating your powers; strive constantly to concentrate

them. Genius thinks it can do whatever it sees others doing, but it is sure to

repent of every ill-judged outlay.

Johann von Goethe, 1749-1832

Salomon's son. In die years to come, the five brotiiers arranged eighteen

matches among their children, sixteen of these being contracted between

first cousins.

“We are like the mechanism of a watch: Each part is essential,” said

brother Salomon. As in a watch, every part of the business moved in

concert with every other, and the inner workings were invisible to the

world, which only saw die movement of the hands. While odier rich and

powerful families suffered irrecoverable downturns during the tumultous

first half of the nineteenth century, the tight-knit Rothschilds managed not

only to preserve but to expand dieir unprecedented wealth.

Interpretation

The Rothschilds were born in strange times. They came from a place

diat had not changed in centuries, but lived in an age that gave birth to the

Industrial Revolution, die French Revolution, and an endless series of

upheavals. The Rotiichilds kept die past alive, resisted Uie patterns of

dispersion of their era and for this are emblematic of the law of

concentration.

No one represents this better than James Rodischild, die son who

established himself in Paris. In his lifetime James witnessed die defeat of

Napoleon, die restoration of die Bourbon monarchy, the bourgeois

monarchy of Orleans, the return to a republic, and finally the enthronement

of Napoleo i III. French styles and fashions changed at a relentiess pace

during all this turmoil. Without appearing to be a relic of the past, James

steered his family as if die ghetto lived on widiin diem. He kept alive his

clan's inner cohesion and strength. Only through such an anchoring in die

past was die family able to tiirive amidst such chaos. Concentration was die

foundation of the Rothschilds' power, wealth, and stability.

The best strategy is always to be very strong; first in general, then

at the decisive point. . . . There is no higher and simpler law of strategy

than that of keeping one's forces concentrated. . . . In short the

first principle is: act with the utmost concentration.

On War, Carl von Clausewitz, 1 7801831

KEYS TO POWER

The world is plagued by greater and greater divisionwitiiin countries,

political groups, families, even individuals. We are all in a state of total

distraction and diffusion, hardly able to keep our minds in one direction

before we are pulled in a thousand others. The modern world's level of

conflict is higher tiian ever, and we have internalized it in our own lives.

The solution is a form of retreat inside ourselves, to the past, to more

concentrated forms of thought and action. As Schopenhauer wrote,

“Intellect is a magnitude of intensity, not a magnitude of extensity.”

Napoleon knew die value of concentrating your forces at die enemy's

weakest spot

it was the secret of his success on the battlefield. But his willpower and

his mind were equally modeled on this notion. Single-mindedness of

purpose, total concentration on the goal, and the use of these qualities

against people less focused, people in a state of distractionsuch an arrow

will find its mark every time and overwhelm the enemy.

Casanova attributed his success in life to his ability to concentrate on a

single goal and push at it until it yielded. It was his ability to give himself

over completely to the women he desired that made him so intensely

seductive. For the weeks or months that one of these women lived in his

orbit, he thought of no one else. When he was imprisoned in the treacherous

“leads” of the doge's palace in Venice, a prison from which no one had ever

escaped, he concentrated his mind on the single goal of escape, day after

day. A change of cells, which meant that months of digging had all been for

naught, did not discourage him; he persisted and eventually escaped. “I

have always believed,” he later wrote, “that when a man gets it into his

head to do something, and when he exclusively occupies himself in that

design, he must succeed, whatever the difficulties. That man will become

Grand Vizier or Pope.”

Concentrate c 1 a single goal, a single task, and beat it into submission.

In the world of power you will constantly need help from other people,

usually those more powerful than you. The fool flits from one person to

another, believing that he will survive by spreading himself out. It is a

corollary of the law of concentration, however, that much energy is saved,

and more power is attained, by affixing yourself to a single, appropriate

source of power. The scientist Nikola Tesla ruined himself by believing that

he somehow maintained his independence by not having to serve a single

master. He even turned down J. P. Morgan, who offered him a rich contract.

In the end, Tesla's “independence” meant that he could depend on no single

patron, but was always having to toady up to a dozen of them. Later in his

life he realized his mistake.

All the great Renaissance painters and writers wresded with this

problem, none more so tilan the sixteenth-century writer Pietro Aretino.

Throughout his life Aretino suffered die indignities of having to please diis

prince and that. At last, he had had enough, and decided to woo Charles V,

promising the emperor the services of his powerful pen. He finally

discovered the freedom that came from attachment to a single source of

power. Michelangelo found this freedom with Pope Julius II, Galileo with

the Medicis. In the end, die single patron appreciates your loyalty and

becomes dependent on your services; in the long run the master serves die

slave.

Finally, power itself always exists in concentrated forms. In any

organization it is inevitable for a small group to hold the strings. And often

it is not diose widi the tides. In die game of power, only the fool flails about

without fixing his target. You must find out who controls die operations,

who is the real director behind the scenes. As Richelieu discovered at die

beginning of his rise to die top of die French political scene during die

early seventeenth century, it was not King Louis XIII who decided

things, it was the king's mother. And so he attached himself to her, and

catapulted through the ranks of the courtiers, all the way to the top.

It is enough to strike oil onceyour wealth and power are assured for a

lifetime.

Image: The Arrow. You cannot hit two targets

with one arrow. If your thoughts stray, you

miss the enemy's heart. Mind and

arrow must become one. Only

with such concentration of

mental and physical

power can your arrow

hit the target and

pierce the

heart.

Authority: Prize intensity more than extensity. Perfection resides in

quality, not quantity. Extent alone never rises above mediocrity, and it is die

misfortune of men with wide general interests that while they would like to

have their finger in every pie, they have one in none. Intensity gives

eminence, and rises to the heroic in matters sublime. (Baltasar Gracian,

1601-1658)

REVERSAL

There are dangers in concentration, and moments when dispersion is the

proper tactical move. Fighting the Nationalists for control of China, Mao

Tse-tung and the Communists fought a protracted war on several fronts,

using sabotage and ambush as their main weapons. Dispersal is often

suitable for the weaker side; it is, in fact, a crucial principle of guerrilla

warfare. When fighting a stronger army, concentrating your forces only

makes you an easier targetbetter to dissolve into the scenery and frustrate

your enemy with the elusiveness of your presence.

Tying yourself to a single source of power has one preeminent danger:

If that person dies, leaves, or falls from grace, you suffer. This is what

happened to Cesare Borgia, who derived his power from his father, Pope

Alexander VI. It was the pope who gave Cesare armies to fight with and

wars to wage in his name. When he suddenly died (perhaps from poison),

Cesare was as good as dead. He had made far too many enemies over

the years, and was now wimout his father's protection. In cases when you

may need protection, then, it is often wise to entwine yourself around

several sources of power. Such a move would be especially prudent in

periods of great tumult and violent change, or when your enemies are

numerous. The more patrons and masters you serve the less risk you run if

one of them falls from power. Such dispersion will even allow you to play

one off against die other. Even if you concentrate on die single source of

power, you still must practice caution, and j repare for the day when your

master or patron is no longer there to help you.

Finally, being too single-minded in purpose can make you an intolerable

bore, especially in die arts. The Renaissance painter Paolo Uccello was so

obsessed widi perspective diat his paintings look lifeless and contrived.

Whereas Leonardo da Vinci interested himself in everythingarchitecture,

painting, warfare, sculpture, mechanics. Diffusion was the source of his

power. But such genius is rare, and the rest of us are better off erring on the

side of intensity.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 24

PLAY THE PERFECT COURTIER

JUDGMENT

The perfect courtier thrives in a world where everything revolves

around power and political dexterity. He has mastered the art of indirection;

he flatters, yields to superiors, and asserts power over others in the most

oblique and graceful manner. Learn and apply the laws of courtiership and

there will be no limit to how far you can rise in the court.

COURT SOCIETY

It is a fact of human nature r^t the structure of a court society forms

itself around power. In the pasVthe court garnered around the ruler, and had

many functions: Besides keeping the ruler amused, it was a way to solidify

the hierarchy of royalty, nobility, and the upper classes, and to keep the

nobility both subordinate and close to the ruler, so that he could keep an eye

on them. The court serves power in many ways, but most of all it glorifies

the ruler, providing him with a microcosmic world that must struggle to

please him.

To be a courtier was a dangerous game. A nineteenth-century Arab

traveler to the court of Darfur, in what is now Sudan, reported that courtiers

there had to do whatever the sultan did: If he were injured, they had to

suffer me same injury; if he fell off his horse during a hunt, they fell, too.

Mimicry like tiiis appeared in courts all over the world. More troublesome

was the danger of displeasing the rulerone wrong move spelled death or

exile. The successful courtier had to walk a tightrope, pleasing but not

pleasing too much, obeying but somehow distinguishing himself from the

other courtiers, while also never distinguishing himself so far as to make the

ruler insecure.

Great courtiers diroughout history have mastered the science of

manipulating people. They make die king feel more kingly; they make

everyone else fear dieir power. They are magicians of appearance, knowing

that most things at court are judged by how diey seem. Great courtiers are

gracious and polite; their aggression is veiled and indirect. Masters of the

word, they never say more dian necessary, getting the most out of a

compliment or hidden insult. They are magnets of pleasurepeople want to

be around them because they know how to please, yet they neitiier fawn nor

humiliate tiiemselves. Great courtiers become the king's favorites, enjoying

the benefits of that position. They often end up more powerful than the

ruler, for mey are wizards in the accumulation of influence.

Many today dismiss court life as a relic of the past, a historical curiosity.

They reason, according to Machiavelli, “as though heaven, the sun, die

elements, and men had changed the order of their motions and power, and

were different from what they were in ancient times.” There may be no

more Sun Kings but there are still plenty of people who believe the sun

revolves around diem. The royal court may have more or less disappeared,

or at least lost its power, but courts and courtiers still exist because power

still exists. A courtier is rarely asked to fall off a horse anymore, but the

laws tiiat govern court politics are as timeless as the laws of power. There is

much to be learned, then, from great courtiers past and present.

THE LAWS OF COURT POLITICS

Avoid Ostentation. It is never prudent to prattle on about yourself or call

too much attention to your actions. The more you talk about your deeds

the two no(;s

Barbos, the faithful yard-dog who serves his master zealously. happens

to see his old acquaintance Joujou, the curly lapdog, seated at the window

on a soft down cushion. Sidling fondly up to her, like a child to a parent, he

all but weeps with emotion; and there, under the window, he whines, wags

his tail, and bounds about. “What sort of life do you lead now, Joujoutka,

ever since the master took you into his mansion You remember, no doubt,

how we often used to suffer hunger out in the yard. What is your present

service like” “It would be a sin in me to murmur against my good fortune, ”

answers Joujoutka. “My master cannot make enough of me. I live amidst

riches and plenty, and I eat and drink off silver. 1 frolic with the master,

and, if I get tired, I take my ease on carpels or on a soft couch. And how do

you get on” “I” replies Barbos, letting his tail dangle like a whip, and

hanging his head. "I live as J used to do. I suffer from cold and hunger; and

here, while guarding my master's house, I have to sleep at the foot of the

wall, and I get drenched in the rain. And if 1 bark at the wrong time, I am

whipped. But how did you, Joujou, who were

so small and weak, get taken into favor, while I jump out of my skin to

no purpose What is it you do “ ” 'What is it you do ' A pretty question to

ask!“ replied Joujou, mockingly. ”I walk upon my hind legs."

Ivan Kriloff,

1768-1844

the more suspicion you cause. You also stir up enough envy among your

peers to induce treachery and backstabbing. Be careful, ever so careful, in

trumpeting your own achievements, and always talk less about yourself

than about other people. Modesty is generally preferable.

Practice Nonchalance. Never seem to be working too hard. Your talent

must appear to flow naturally, with an ease that makes people take you for a

genius rather than a workaholic. Even when something demands a lot of

sweat, make it look effortlesspeople prefer to not see your blood and toil,

which is another form of ostentation. It is better for them to marvel at how

gracefully you have achieved your accomplishment than to wonder why it

took so much work.

/; is a wise thing to be polite; consequently, it is a stupid thing to be

rude. To make enemies by unnecessary and wilful incivility, is just as insane

a proceeding as to set your house on fire. For politeness is like a counteran

avowedly false coin, with which it is foolish to be stingy. A sensible man

will be generous in the use of it.... Wax, a substance naturally hard and

brittle, can be made soft by the application of a little warmth, so that it will

take any shape you please. In the same way, by being polite and friendly,

you can make people pliable and obliging, even though they are apt to be

crabbed and malevolent. Hence politeness is to human nature what warmth

is to wax.

Arthur

Schopenhauer,

1788-1860

Be Frugal with Flattery. It may seem that your superiors cannot get

enough flattery, but too much of even a good thing loses its value. It also

stirs up suspicion among your peers. Learn to flatter indirectlyby

downplaying your own contribution, for example, to make your master look

better.

Arrange to Be Noticed. There is a paradox: You cannot display yourself

too brazenly, yet you must also get yourself noticed. In the court of Louis

XIV, whoever the king decided to look at rose instandy in the court

hierarchy. You stand no chance of rising if the ruler does not notice you in

the swamp of courtiers. This task requires much art. It is often initially a

matter of being seen, in the literal sense. Pay attention to your physical

appearance, then, and find a way to create a distinctivea subtly

distinctivestyle and image.

Alter Your Style and Language According to the Person You Are

Dealing With. The pseudo-belief in equalitydie idea that talking and acting

the same way with everyone, no matter what their rank, makes you

somehow a paragon of civilizationis a terrible mistake. Those below you

will take it as a form of condescension, which it is, and those above you

will be offended, although they may not admit it. You must change your

style and your way of speaking to suit each person. This is not lying, it is

acting, and acting is an art, not a gift from God. Learn the art. This is also

true for the great variety of cultures found in the modern court: Never

assume that your criteria of behavior and judgment are universal. Not only

is an inability to adapt to another culture the height of barbarism, it puts you

at a disadvantage.

Never Be the Bearer of Bad News. The king kills the messenger who

brings bad news: This is a cliche but there is truth to it. You must struggle

and if necessary lie and cheat to be sure that the lot of the bearer of bad

news falls on a colleague, never on you. Bring only good news and your

approach will gladden your master.

ISO

Never Affect Friendliness and Intimacy with Your Master. He does not

want a friend for a subordinate, he wants a subordinate. Never approach

him in an easy, friendly way, or act as if you are on the best of termsthat is

his prerogative. If he chooses to deal with you on this level, assume a wary

chumminess. Otherwise err in the opposite direction, and make the distance

between you clear.

Never Criticize Those Above You Directly. This may seem obvious, but

there are often times when some sort of criticism is necessaryto say nothing,

or to give no advice, would open you to risks of another sort. You must

learn, however, to couch your advice and criticism as indirectly and as

politely as possible. Think twice, or three times, before deciding you have

made them sufficiently circuitous. Err on the side of subtlety and

gentieness.

Be Frugal in Asking Those Above You for Favors. Nothing irritates a

master more than having to reject someone's request. It stirs up guilt and

resentment. Ask for favors as rarely as possible, and know when to stop.

Rather than making yourself the supplicant, it is always better to earn your

favors, so that the ruler bestows them willingly. Most important: Do not ask

for favors on another person's behalf, least of all a friend's.

Never Joke About Appearances or Taste. A lively wit and a humorous

disposition are essential qualities for a good courtier, and there are times

when vulgarity is appropriate and engaging. But avoid any kind of joke

about appearance or taste, two highly sensitive areas, especially with those

above you. Do not even try it when you are away from them. You will dig

your own grave.

Do Not Be the Court Cynic. Express admiration for the good work of

others. If you constandy criticize your equals or subordinates some of that

criticism will rub off on you, hovering over you like a gray cloud wherever

you go. People will groan at each new cynical comment, and you will

irritate them. By expressing modest admiration for other people's

achievements, you paradoxically call attention to your own. The ability to

express wonder and amazement, and seem like you mean it, is a rare and

dying talent, but one still greatiy valued.

Be Self-observant The mirror is a miraculous invention; without it you

would commit great sins against beauty and decorum. You also need a

mirror for your actions. This can sometimes come from other people telling

you what they see in you, but that is not the most trustworthy method: You

must be the mirror, training your mind to try to see yourself as others see

you. Are you acting too obsequious Are you trying too hard to please Do

you seem desperate for attention, giving the impression that you are on the

decline Be observant about yourself and you will avoid a mountain of

blunders.

Master Your Emotions. As an actor in a great play, you must learn to cry

and laugh on command and when it is appropriate. You must be able both to

disguise your anger and frustration and to fake your contentment and

agreement. You must be the master of your own face. Call it lying if you

like; but if you prefer to not play the game and to always be honest and

upfront, do not complain when others call you obnoxious and arrogant.

Fit the Spirit of the Times. A slight affectation of a past era can be

charming, as long as you choose a period at least twenty years back;

wearing the fashions of ten years ago is ludicrous, unless you enjoy the role

of court jester. Your spirit and way of thinking must keep up with the times,

even if the times offend your sensibilities. Be too forward-thinking,

however, and no one will understand you. It is never a good idea to stand

out too much in this area; you are best off at least being able to mimic the

spirit of the times.

Be a Source of Pleasure. This is critical. It is an obvious law of human

nature that we will flee what is unpleasant and distasteful, while charm and

the promise of delight will draw us like moths to a flame. Make yourself the

flame and you will rise to the top. Since life is otherwise so full of

unpleasantness and pleasure so scarce, you will be as indispensable as food

and drink. This may seem obvious, but what is obvious is often ignored or

unappreciated. There are degrees to this: Not everyone can play the role of

favorite, for not everyone is blessed with charm and wit. But we can all

control our unpleasant qualities and obscure them when necessary.

A man who knows the court is master of his gestures, of his eyes and

of his face; he is profound, impenetrable; he dissimulates bad offices,

smiles at his enemies, controls his irritation, disguises his passions,

belies his heart, speaks and acts against his feelings.

Jean de La Bruyere, 16451696

SCENES OF COURT LIFE: Exemplary Deeds and Fatal Mistakes

Scene I

Alexander the Great, conqueror of the Mediterranean basin and the

Middle East through to India, had had the great Aristotle as his tutor and

mentor, and throughout his short life he remained devoted to philosophy

and his master's teachings. He once complained to Aristotle that during his

long campaigns he had no one with whom he could discuss philosophical

matters. Aristotle responded by suggesting that he take Callisthenes, a

former pupil of Aristotle's and a promising philosopher in his own right,

along on the next campaign.

Aristotle had schooled Callisthenes in the skills of being a courtier, but

the young man secretly scoffed at them. He believed in pure philosophy,

in unadorned words, in speaking the naked truth. If Alexander loved

learning so much, Callisthenes thought, he could not object to one who

spoke his mind. During one of Alexander's major campaigns, Callisthenes

spoke his mind one too many times and Alexander had him put to death.

Interpretation

In court, honesty is a fool's game. Never be so self-absorbed as to

believe that the master is interested in your criticisms of him, no matter how

accurate they are.

Scene II

Beginning in the Han Dynasty two thousand years ago, Chinese

scholars compiled a series of writings called the 21 Histories, an official

biography of each dynasty, including stories, statistics, census figures, and

war chronicles. Each history also contained a chapter called “Unusual

Events,” and here, among the listings of earthquakes and floods, there

would sometimes suddenly appear descriptions of such bizarre

manifestations as two-headed sheep, geese flying backward, stars suddenly

appearing in different parts of the sky, and so on. The earthquakes could be

historically verified, but the monsters and weird natural phenomena were

clearly inserted on purpose, and invariably occurred in clusters. What could

this mean

The Chinese emperor was considered more than a manhe was a force of

nature. His kingdom was the center of the universe, and everything

revolved around him. He embodied the world's perfection. To criticize him

or any of his actions would have been to criticize the divine order. No

minister or courtier dared approach the emperor with even the slightest

cautionary word. But emperors were fallible and the kingdom suffered

gready by their mistakes. Inserting sightings of strange phenomena into the

court chronicles was the only way to warn them. The emperor would read

of geese flying backward and moons out of orbit, and realize that he was

being cautioned. His actions were unbalancing the universe and needed to

change. Interpretation

For Chinese courtiers, the problem of how to give the emperor advice

was an important issue. Over the years, thousands of them had died trying

to warn or counsel their master. To be made safely, their criticisms had to be

indirectyet if they were too indirect they would not be heeded. The

chronicles were their solution: Identify no one person as the source of

criticism, make the advice as impersonal as possible, but let the emperor

know the gravity of the situation.

Your master is no longer the center of the universe, but he still imagines

that everything revolves around him. When you criticize him he sees the

person criticizing, not the criticism itself. Like the Chinese courtiers, you

must find a way to disappear behind the warning. Use symbols and other

indirect methods to paint a picture of the problems to come, without putting

your neck on the line.

Scene III

Early in his career, the French architect Jules Mansart received

commissions to design minor additions to Versailles for King Louis XIV.

For each design he would draw up his plans, making sure they followed

Louis's instructions closely. He would then present them to His Majesty.

The courtier Saint-Simon described Mansart's technique in dealing with

the king: “His particular skill was to show the king plans that purposely

included something imperfect about them, often dealing with the gardens,

which were not Mansart's specialty. The king, as Mansart expected, would

put his finger exacdy on the problem and propose how to solve it, at which

point Mansart would exclaim for all to hear that he would never have seen

the problem that the king had so masterfully found and solved; he would

burst with admiration, confessing that next to the king he was but a lowly

pupil.” At the age of thirty, having used these methods time and time again,

Mansart received a prestigious royal commission: Although he was less

talented and experienced than a number of other French designers, he was

to take charge of the enlargement of Versailles. He was the king's architect

from then on. Interpretation

As a young man, Mansart had seen how many royal craftsmen in the

service of Louis XIV had lost their positions not through a lack of talent but

through a costly social blunder. He would not make that mistake. Mansart

always strove to make Louis feel better about himself, to feed the king's

vanity as publicly as possible.

Never imagine that skill and talent are all mat matter. In court the

courtier's art is more important than his talent; never spend so much time on

your studies that you neglect your social skills. And the greatest skill of all

is the ability to make the master look more talented than those around him.

Scene IV

Jean-Baptiste Isabey had become the unofficial painter of the

Napoleonic court. During the Congress of Vienna in 1814, after Napoleon,

defeated, had been imprisoned on the island of Elba, the participants in

these meetings, which were to decide the fate of Europe, invited Isabey to

immortalize the historic events in an epic painting.

When Isabey arrived in Vienna, Talleyrand, the main negotiator for the

French, paid the artist a visit. Considering his role in the proceedings, the

statesman explained, he expected to occupy center stage in the painting.

Isabey cordially agreed. A few days later the Duke of Wellington, the main

negotiator for the English, also approached Isabey, and said much the same

thing that Talleyrand had. The ever polite Isabey agreed that the great duke

should indeed be the center of attention.

Back in his studio, Isabey pondered the dilemma. If he gave the

spotlight to either of the two men, he could create a diplomatic rift, stirring

up all sorts of resentment at a time when peace and concord were critical.

When the painting was finally unveiled, however, both Talleyrand and

Wellington felt honored and satisfied. The work depicts a large hall filled

with diplomats and politicians from all over Europe. On one side die Duke

of Wellington enters the room, and all eyes are turned toward him; he is the

“center” of attention. In the very center of the painting, meanwhile, sits

Talleyrand. Interpretation

It is often very difficult to satisfy the master, but to satisfy two masters

in one stroke takes die genius of a great courtier. Such predicaments are

common in the life of a courtier: By giving attention to one master, he

displeases anotfier. You must find a way to navigate mis Scylla and

Charybdis safely. Masters must receive tiieir due; never inadvertendy stir up

the resentment of one in pleasing another.

Scene V

George Brummell, also known as Beau Brummell, made his mark in die

late 1700s by the supreme elegance of his appearance, his popularization of

shoe buckles (soon imitated by all the dandies), and his clever way with

words. His London house was the fashionable spot in town, and Brummell

was the authority on all matters of fashion. If he disliked your footwear, you

immediately got rid of it and bought whatever he was wearing. He perfected

the art of tying a cravat; Lord Byron was said to spend many a night in front

of die mirror trying to figure out die secret behind Brummell's perfect knots.

One of Brummell's greatest admirers was the Prince of Wales, who

fancied himself a fashionable young man. Becoming attached to the prince's

court (and provided witii a royal pension), Brummell was soon so sure of

his own authority tiiere that he took to joking about the prince's weight,

referring to his host as Big Ben. Since trimness of figure was an important

quality for a dandy, this was a withering criticism. At dinner once, when the

service was slow, Brummell said to the prince, “Do ring, Big Ben.” The

prince rang, but when die valet arrived he ordered the man to show

Brummell the door and never admit him again.

Despite falling into die prince's disfavor, Brummell continued to treat

everyone around him with the same arrogance. Without the Prince of Wales'

patronage to support him, he sank into horrible debt, but he maintained his

insolent manners, and everyone soon abandoned him. He died in the most

pitiable poverty, alone and deranged. Interpretation

Beau Brummell's devastating wit was one of die qualities mat endeared

him to the Prince of Wales. But not even he, the arbiter of taste and fashion,

could get away with a joke about the prince's appearance, least of all to his

face. Never joke about a person's plumpness, even indirecdyand particularly

when he is your master. The poorhouses of history are filled with people

who have made such jokes at their master's expense.

Scene VI

Pope Urban VIII wanted to be remembered for his skills in writing

poetry, which unfortunately were mediocre at best. In 1629 Duke Francesco

d'Este, knowing the pope's literary pretensions, sent the poet Fulvio Testi as

his ambassador to the Vatican. One of Testi's letters to the duke reveals why

he was chosen: “Once our discussion was over, I kneeled to depart, but His

Holiness made a signal and walked to another room where he sleeps, and

after reaching a small table, he grabbed a bundle of papers and thus, turning

to me witii a smiling face, he said: 'We want Your Lordship to listen to

some of our compositions.' And, in fact, he read me two very long Pindaric

poems, one in praise of the most holy Virgin, and die other one about

Countess Matilde.”

We do not know exactly what Testi thought of these very long poems,

since it would have been dangerous for him to state his opinion freely, even

in a letter. But he went on to write, “I, following the mood, commented on

each line with the needed praise, and, after having kissed His Holiness's

foot for such an unusual sign of benevolence [the reading of the poetry], I

left.” Weeks later, when the duke himself visited die pope, he managed to

recite entire verses of die pope's poetry and praised it enough to make the

pope “so jubilant he seemed to lose his mind.” Interpretation

In matters of taste you can never be too obsequious with your master.

Taste is one of die ego's prickliest parts; never impugn or question the

master's tastehis poetry is sublime, his dress impeccable, and his manner the

model for all.

Scene VII

One afternoon in ancient China, Chao, ruler of Han from 358 to 333

B.C., got drunk and fell asleep in the palace gardens. The court crown-

keeper, whose sole task was to look after die ruler's head apparel, passed

Uirough the gardens and saw his master sleeping without a coat. Since it

was getting cold, die crown-keeper placed his own coat over the ruler, and

left.

When Chao awoke and saw the coat upon him, he asked his attendants,

“Who put more clodies on my body” “The crown-keeper,” they replied. The

ruler immediately called for his official coat-keeper and had him punished

for neglecting his duties. He also called for the crown-keeper, whom he had

beheaded. Interpretation

Do not overstep your bounds. Do what you are assigned to do, to the

best of your abilities, and never do more. To think that by doing more you

are doing better is a common blunder. It is never good to seem to be trying

too hardit is as if you were covering up some deficiency. Fulfilling a task

that has not been asked of you just makes people suspicious. If you are a

crown-keeper, be a crown-keeper. Save your excess energy for when you

are not in die court.

Scene VIII

One day, for amusement, the Italian Renaissance painter Fra Filippo

Lippi (1406-1469) and some friends went sailing in a small boat off

Ancona. There they were captured by two Moorish galleys, which hauled

mem off in chains to Barbary, where they were sold as slaves. For eighteen

long months Filippo toiled with no hope of returning to Italy.

On several occasions Filippo saw the man who had bought him pass by,

and one day he decided to sketch this man's portrait, using burnt

coalcharcoalfrom the fire. Still in his chains, he found a white wall, where

he drew a full-length likeness of his owner in Moorish clothing. The owner

soon heard about this, for no one had seen such skill in drawing before in

these parts; it seemed like a miracle, a gift from God. The drawing so

pleased the owner that he instantly gave Filippo his freedom and employed

him in his court. All the big men on the Barbary coast came to see the

magnificent color portraits that Fra Filippo then proceeded to do, and

finally, in gratitude for the honor in this way brought upon him, Filippo's

owner returned the artist safely to Italy. Interpretation

We who toil for other people have all in some way been captured by

pirates and sold into slavery. But like Fra Filippo (if to a lesser degree),

most of us possess some gift, some talent, an ability to do something better

than other people. Make your master a gift of your talents and you will rise

above other courtiers. Let him take the credit if necessary, it will only be

temporary: Use him as a stepping stone, a way of displaying your talent and

eventually buying your freedom from enslavement.

Scene IX

Alfonso I of Aragon once had a servant who told the king that the night

before he had had a dream: Alfonso had given him a gift of weapons,

horses, and clothes. Alfonso, a generous, lordly man, decided it would be

amusing to make this dream come true, and promptly gave the servant

exactly these gifts.

A little while later, the same servant announced to Alfonso that he had

had yet another dream, and in this one Alfonso had given him a

considerable pile of gold florins. The king smiled and said, “Don't believe

in dreams from now on; they lie.” Interpretation

In his treatment of the servant's first dream, Alfonso remained in

control. By making a dream come true, he claimed a godlike power for

himself, if in a mild and humorous way. In the second dream, however, all

appearance of magic was gone; this was nothing but an ugly con game on

the servant's part. Never ask for too much, then, and know when to stop. It

is the master's prerogative to giveto give when he wants and what he wants,

and to do so without prompting. Do not give him the chance to reject your

requests. Better to win favors by deserving them, so that they are bestowed

without your asking.

Scene X

The great English landscape painter J. M. W. Turner (1775-1851) was

known for his use of color, which he applied with a brilliance and a strange

iridescence. The color in his paintings was so striking, in fact, that other

artists never wanted his work hung next to theirs: It inevitably made

everything around it seem dull.

The painter Sir Thomas Lawrence once had the misfortune of seeing

Turner's masterpiece Cologne hanging in an exhibition between two works

of his own. Lawrence complained bitterly to the gallery owner, who gave

him no satisfaction: After all, someone's paintings had to hang next to

Turner's. But Turner heard of Lawrence's complaint, and before the

exhibition opened, he toned down the brilliant golden sky in Cologne,

making it as dull as the colors in Lawrence's works. A friend of Turner's

who saw the painting approached the artist with a horrified look: “What

have you done to your picture!” he said. “Well, poor Lawrence was so

unhappy,” Turner replied, “and it's only lampblack. It'll wash off after the

exhibition.” Interpretation

Many of a courtier's anxieties have to do with the master, with whom

most dangers lie. Yet it is a mistake to imagine that the master is the only

one to determine your fate. Your equals and subordinates play integral parts

also. A court is a vast stew of resentments, fears, and powerful envy. You

have to placate everyone who might someday harm you, deflecting their

resentment and envy and diverting their hostility onto other people.

Turner, eminent courtier, knew that his good fortune and fame depended

on his fellow painters as well as on his dealers and patrons. How many of

the great have been felled by envious colleagues! Better temporarily to dull

your brilliance than to suffer the slings and arrows of envy.

Scene XI

Winston Churchill was an amateur artist, and after World War II his

paintings became collector's items. The American publisher Henry Luce, in

fact, creator of Time and Life magazines, kept one of Churchill's landscapes

hanging in his private office in New York.

On a tour through the United States once, Churchill visited Luce in his

office, and the two men looked at the painting togetiier. The publisher

remarked, “It's a good picture, but I think it needs something in the

foregrounda sheep, perhaps.” Much to Luce's horror, Churchill's secretary

called the publisher the next day and asked him to have the painting sent to

England. Luce did so, mortified that he had perhaps offended the former

prime minister. A few days later, however, the painting was shipped back,

but slighdy altered: a single sheep now grazed peacefully in the foreground.

Interpretation

In stature and fame, Churchill stood head and shoulders above Luce, but

Luce was certainly a man of power, so let us imagine a slight equality

between them. Still, what did Churchill have to fear from an American

publisher Why bow to the criticism of a dilettante

A courtin this case the entire world of diplomats and international

statesmen, and also of the journalists who court themis a place of mutual

dependence. It is unwise to insult or offend the taste of people of power,

even if they are below or equal to you. If a man like Churchill can swallow

the criticisms of a man like Luce, he proves himself a courtier without peer.

(Perhaps his correction of the painting implied a certain condescension as

well, but he did it so subtly that Luce did not perceive any slight.) Imitate

Churchill: Put in the sheep. It is always beneficial to play the obliging

courtier, even when you are not serving a master.

THE DELICATE GAME OF COURTIERSHIP: A Warning Talleyrand

was the consummate courtier, especially in serving his master Napoleon.

When the two men were first getting to know each other, Napoleon once

said in passing, “I shall come to lunch at your house one of these days.”

Talleyrand had a house at Auteuil, in the suburbs of Paris. “I should be

delighted, mon general,” the minister replied, “and since my house is close

to the Bois de Boulogne, you will be able to amuse yourself with a bit of

shooting in the afternoon.”

“I do not like shooting,” said Napoleon, “But I love hunting. Are there

any boars in the Bois de Boulogne” Napoleon came from Corsica, where

boar hunting was a great sport. By asking if there were boars in a Paris

park, he showed himself still a provincial, almost a rube. Talleyrand did not

laugh, however, but he could not resist a practical joke on the man who was

now his master in politics, although not in blood and nobility, since

Talleyrand came from an old aristocratic family. To Napoleon's question,

then, he simply replied, “Very few, mon general, but I dare say you will

manage to find one.”

It was arranged that Napoleon would arrive at Talleyrand's house the

following day at seven A.M. and would spend the morning there. The “boar

hunt” would take place in the afternoon. Throughout the morning the

excited general talked nothing but boar hunting. Meanwhile, Talleyrand

secretly had his servants go to the market, buy two enormous black pigs,

and take them to the great park.

After lunch, the hunters and their hounds set off for the Bois de

Boulogne. At a secret signal from Talleyrand, the servants loosed one of the

pigs. “I see a boar,” Napoleon cried joyfully, jumping onto his horse to give

chase. Talleyrand stayed behind. It took half an hour of galloping through

the park before the “boar” was finally captured. At the moment of triumph,

however, Napoleon was approached by one of his aides, who knew the

creature could not possibly be a boar, and feared the general would be

ridiculed once the story got out: “Sir,” he told Napoleon, “you realize of

course that this is not a boar but a pig.”

Flying into a rage, Napoleon immediately set off at a gallop for

Talleyrand's house. He realized along the way that he would now be the butt

of many a joke, and that exploding at Talleyrand would only make him

more ridiculous; it would be better to make a show of good humor. Still,

he did not hide his displeasure well.

Talleyrand decided to try to soothe the general's bruised ego. He told

Napoleon not to go back to Paris yethe should again go hunting in the park.

There were many rabbits there, and hunting them had been a favorite

pastime of Louis XVI. Talleyrand even offered to let Napoleon use a set of

guns that had once belonged to Louis. With much flattery and cajolery, he

once again got Napoleon to agree to a hunt.

The party left for the park in the late afternoon. Along the way,

Napoleon told Talleyrand, “I'm not Louis XVI, I surely won't kill even one

rabbit.” Yet that afternoon, strangely enough, the park was teeming with

rabbits. Napoleon killed at least fifty of them, and his mood changed from

anger to satisfaction. At the end of his wild shooting spree, however, the

same aide approached him and whispered in his ear, “To tell die truth, sir, I

am beginning to believe these are not wild rabbits. I suspect that rascal

Talleyrand has played another joke on us.” (The aide was right: Talleyrand

had in fact sent his servants back to the market, where tiiey had purchased

dozens of rabbits and then had released them in die Bois de Boulogne.)

Napoleon immediately mounted his horse and galloped away, mis time

returning straight to Paris. He later threatened Talleyrand, warned him not

to tell a soul what had happened; if he became the laughingstock of Paris,

there would be hell to pay.

It took months for Napoleon to be able to trust Talleyrand again, and he

never totally forgave him his humiliation.

Interpretation

Courtiers are like magicians: They deceptively play with appearances,

only letting those around them see what they want diem to see. With so

much deception and manipulation afoot, it is essential to keep people from

seeing your tricks and glimpsing your sleight of hand.

Talleyrand was normally the Grand Wizard of Courtiership, and but for

Napoleon's aide, he probably would have gotten away completely with both

pleasing his master and having a joke at the general's expense. But

courtiership is a subde art, and overlooked traps and inadvertent mistakes

can ruin your best tricks. Never risk being caught in your maneuvers; never

let people see your devices. If that happens you instandy pass in people's

perceptions from a courtier of great manners to a loamsome rogue. It is a

delicate game you play; apply the utmost attention to covering your tracks,

and never let your master unmask you.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 25

RE-CREATE YOURSELF

JUDGMENT

Do not accept the roles that society foists on you. Re-create yourself by

forging a new identity, one that commands attention and never bores the

audience. Be the master of your own image rather than letting others define

it for you. Incorporate dramatic devices into your public gestures and

actionsyour power will be enhanced and your character will seem larger

than life.

The man who intends to make his fortune in this ancient capital of the

world [Rome] must be a chameleon susceptible of reflecting the colors of

the atmosphere that surrounds hima Proteus apt to assume every form,

every shape. He must be supple, flexible, insinuating, close, inscrutable,

often base, sometimes sincere, sometimes perfidious, always concealing a

part of his knowledge, indulging in but one tone of voice, patient, a perfect

master of his own countenance, as cold as ice when any other man would be

all fire; and if unfortunately he is not religious at hearta very common

occurrence for a soul possessing the above requisites he must have religion

in his mind, that is to say, on his face, on his lips, in his manners; he must

suffer quietly, if he be an honest man, the necessity of knowing himself an

arrant hypocrite. The man whose soul would loathe such a life should leave

Rome and seek his fortune elsewhere. I do not know whether I am praising

or excusing myself, but of all those qualities I possessed but one namely,

flexibility.

MEMOIRS,

Giovanni Casanova, 1725-1798

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW I

Julius Caesar made his first significant mark on Roman society in 65

B.C., when he assumed the post of aedile, the official in charge of grain

distribution and public games. He began his entrance into the public eye by

organizing a series of carefully crafted and well-timed spectacleswild-beast

hunts, extravagant gladiator shows, theatrical contests. On several

occasions, he paid for these spectacles out of his own pocket. To the

common man, Julius Caesar became indelibly associated with these much-

loved events. As he slowly rose to attain the position of consul, his

popularity among the masses served as the foundation of his power. He had

created an image of himself as a great public showman.

In 49 B.C., Rome was on the brink of a civil war between rival leaders,

Caesar and Pompey. At the height of the tension, Caesar, an addict of the

stage, attended a theatrical performance, and afterward, lost in thought, he

wandered in die darkness back to his camp at the Rubicon, die river that

divides Italy from Gaul, where he had been campaigning. To march his

army back into Italy across the Rubicon would mean the beginning of a war

with Pompey.

Before his staff Caesar argued both sides, forming the options like an

actor on stage, a precursor of Hamlet. Finally, to put his soliloquy to an end,

he pointed to a seemingly innocent apparition at the edge of the rivera very

tall soldier blasting a call on a trumpet, then going across a bridge over the

Rubiconand pronounced, “Let us accept this as a sign from die Gods and

follow where tiiey beckon, in vengeance on our double-dealing enemies.

The die is cast.” All of this he spoke portentously and dramatically,

gesturing toward the river and looking his generals in the eye. He knew that

these generals were uncertain in their support, but his oratory overwhelmed

them widi a sense of die drama of the moment, and of die need to seize the

time. A more prosaic speech would never have had the same effect. The

generals rallied to his cause; Caesar and his army crossed the Rubicon and

by the following year had vanquished Pompey, making Caesar dictator of

Rome.

In warfare, Caesar always played the leading man with gusto. He was as

skilled a horseman as any of his soldiers, and took pride in outdoing diem in

feats of bravery and endurance. He entered battle astride die strongest

mount, so that his soldiers would see him in die thick of batde, urging diem

on, always positioning himself in the center, a godlike symbol of power and

a model for them to follow. Of all the armies in Rome, Caesar's was the

most devoted and loyal. His soldiers, like die common people who had

attended his entertainments, had come to identify with him and with his

cause.

After the defeat of Pompey, die entertainments grew in scale. Nodiing

like mem had ever been seen in Rome. The chariot races became more

spectacular, die gladiator fights more dramatic, as Caesar staged fights to

die deadi among the Roman nobility. He organized enormous mock naval

batdes on an artificial lake. Plays were performed in every Roman ward. A

192 LAW 25

giant new theater was built that sloped dramatically down the Tarpeian

Rock. Crowds from all over the empire flocked to these events, the roads to

Rome lined widi visitors' tents. And in 45 B.C., timing his entry into the

city for maximum effect and surprise, Caesar brought Cleopatra back to

Rome after his Egyptian campaign, and staged even more extravagant

public spectacles.

These events were more than devices to divert the masses; they

dramatically enhanced the public's sense of Caesar's character, and made

him seem larger than life. Caesar was die master of his public image, of

which he was forever aware. When he appeared before crowds he wore the

most spectacular purple robes. He would be upstaged by no one. He was

notoriously vain about his appearanceit was said that one reason he enjoyed

being honored by the Senate and people was that on these occasions he

could wear a laurel wreath, hiding his baldness. Caesar was a masterful

orator. He knew how to say a lot by saying a litde, intuited die moment to

end a speech for maximum effect. He never failed to incorporate a surprise

into his public appearancesa startling announcement tiiat would heighten

their drama.

Immensely popular among the Roman people, Caesar was hated and

feared by his rivals. On the ides of MarchMarch 15in die year 44 B.C., a

group of conspirators led by Brutus and Cassius surrounded him in die

senate and stabbed him to deadi. Even dying, however, he kept his sense of

drama. Drawing die top of his gown over his face, he let go of die clodi's

lower part so diat it draped his legs, allowing him to die covered and

decent. According to die Roman historian Suetonius, his final words to his

old friend Brutus, who was about to deliver a second blow, were in Greek,

and as if rehearsed for die end of a play: “You too, my child”

Interpretation

The Roman dieater was an event for the masses, attended by crowds

unimaginable today. Packed into enormous auditoriums, die audience

would be amused by raucous comedy or moved by high tragedy.

Theater

seemed to contain die essence of life, in its concentrated, dramatic form.

Like a religious ritual, it had a powerful, instant appeal to die common

man.

Julius Caesar was perhaps die first public figure to understand die vital

link between power and theater. This was because of his own obsessive

interest in drama. He sublimated tiiis interest by making himself an actor

and director on the world stage. He said his lines as if diey had been

scripted; he gestured and moved through a crowd widi a constant sense of

how he appeared to his audience. He incorporated surprise into his

repertoire, building drama into his speeches, staging into his public

appearances. His gestures were broad enough for die common man to grasp

diem instantiy. He became immensely popular.

Caesar set die ideal for all leaders and people of power. Like him, you

must learn to enlarge your actions dirough dramatic techniques such as

surprise, suspense, the creation of sympathy, and symbolic

identification. Also like him, you must be constantiy aware of your

audienceof what will please them and what will bore them. You must

arrange to place yourself at the center, to command attention, and never to

be upstaged at any cost.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW II

In the year 1831, a young woman named Aurore Dupin Dudevant left

her husband and family in the provinces and moved to Paris. She wanted to

be a writer; marriage, she felt, was worse than prison, for it left her neither

the time nor the freedom to pursue her passion. In Paris she would establish

her independence and make her living by writing.

Soon after Dudevant arrived in the capital, however, she had to confront

certain harsh realities. To have any degree of freedom in Paris you had to

have money. For a woman, money could only come through marriage or

prostitution. No woman had ever come close to making a living by writing.

Women wrote as a hobby, supported by their husbands, or by an

inheritance. In fact when Dudevant first showed her writing to an editor, he

told her, “You should make babies, Madame, not literature.”

Clearly Dudevant had come to Paris to attempt the impossible. In the

end, though, she came up with a strategy to do what no woman had ever

donea strategy to re-create herself completely, forging a public image of her

own making. Women writers before her had been forced into a ready-made

role, that of the second-rate artist who wrote mostly for other women.

Dudevant decided that if she had to play a role, she would turn the game

around: She would play the part of a man.

In 1832 a publisher accepted Dudevant's first major novel, Indiana. She

had chosen to publish it under a pseudonym, “George Sand,” and all of

Paris assumed this impressive new writer was male. Dudevant had

sometimes worn men's clothes before creating “George Sand” (she had

always found men's shirts and riding breeches more comfortable); now, as a

public figure, she exaggerated the image. She added long men's coats, gray

hats, heavy boots, and dandyish cravats to her wardrobe. She smoked cigars

and in conversation expressed herself like a man, unafraid to dominate the

conversation or to use a saucy word.

This strange “male/female” writer fascinated the public. And unlike

other women writers, Sand found herself accepted into the clique of male

artists. She drank and smoked with them, even carried on affairs with the

most famous artists of EuropeMusset, Liszt, Chopin. It was she who did the

wooing, and also the abandoningshe moved on at her discretion.

Those who knew Sand well understood that her male persona protected

her from the public's prying eyes. Out in the world, she enjoyed playing the

part to the extreme; in private she remained herself. She also realized that

the character of “George Sand” could grow stale or predictable, and to

avoid this she would every now and then dramatically alter

the character she had created; instead of conducting affairs widi famous

men, she would begin meddling in politics, leading demonstrations,

inspiring student rebellions. No one would dictate to her die limits of the

character she had created. Long after she died, and after most people had

stopped reading her novels, the larger-than-life theatricality of that character

has continued to fascinate and inspire.

Interpretation

Throughout Sand's public life, acquaintances and other artists who spent

time in her company had the feeling they were in the presence of a man.

But in her journals and to her closest friends, such as Gustave Flaubert, she

confessed diat she had no desire to be a man, but was playing a part for

public consumption. What she really wanted was the power to determine

her own character. She refused the limits her society would have set on her.

She did not attain her power, however, by being herself; instead she created

a persona that she could constandy adapt to her own desires, a persona diat

attracted attention and gave her presence.

Understand this: The world wants to assign you a role in life. And once

you accept that role you are doomed. Your power is limited to the tiny

amount allotted to die role you have selected or have been forced to

assume. An actor, on the other hand, plays many roles. Enjoy that protean

power, and if it is beyond you, at least forge a new identity, one of your own

making, one diat has had no boundaries assigned to it by an envious and

resentful world. This act of defiance is Promethean: It makes you

responsible for your own creation.

Your new identity will protect you from the world precisely because it is

not “you”; it is a costume you put on and take off. You need not take it

personally. And your new identity sets you apart, gives you theatrical

presence. Those in the back rows can see you and hear you. Those in die

front rows marvel at your audacity.

Do not people talk in society of a man being a great actor They do not

mean by that that he feels, but that he excels in simulating, though he feels

nothing.

Denis Diderot, 1713-1784

KEYS TO POWER

The character you seem to have been born with is not necessarily who

you are; beyond die characteristics you have inherited, your parents, your

friends, and your peers have helped to shape your personality. The

Promethean task of the powerful is to take control of the process, to stop

allowing others that ability to limit and mold diem. Remake yourself into a

character of power. Working on yourself like clay should be one of your

greatest and most pleasurable life tasks. It makes you in essence an artist an

artist creating yourself.

In fact, the idea of self-creation comes from the world of art. For thou-

sands of years, only kings and the highest courtiers had the freedom to

shape their public image and determine their own identity. Similarly, only

kings and the wealthiest lords could contemplate their own image in art, and

consciously alter it. The rest of mankind played the limited role that society

demanded of them, and had little self-consciousness.

A shift in this condition can be detected in Velazquez's painting Las

Meninas, made in 1656. The artist appears at the left of the canvas, standing

before a painting that he is in the process of creating, but that has its back to

uswe cannot see it. Beside him stands a princess, her attendants, and one of

the court dwarves, all watching him work. The people posing for the

painting are not directly visible, but we can see them in tiny reflections in a

mirror on the back wallthe king and queen of Spain, who must be sitting

somewhere in die foreground, outside the picture.

The painting represents a dramatic change in the dynamics of power and

the ability to determine one's own position in society. For Velazquez, the

artist, is far more prominendy positioned than the king and queen. In a

sense he is more powerful than they are, since he is clearly the one

controlling the image their image. Velazquez no longer saw himself as the

slavish, dependent artist. He had remade himself into a man of power. And

indeed the first people other than aristocrats to play openly with their image

in Western society were artists and writers, and later on dandies and

bohemians. Today the concept of self-creation has slowly filtered down to

the rest of society, and has become an ideal to aspire to. Like Velazquez,

you must demand for yourself the power to determine your position in the

painting, and to create your own image.

The first step in the process of self-creation is self-consciousness being

aware of yourself as an actor and taking control of your appearance and

emotions. As Diderot said, the bad actor is the one who is always sincere.

People who wear tiieir hearts on their sleeves out in society are tiresome

and embarrassing. Their sincerity notwithstanding, it is hard to take them

seriously. Those who cry in public may temporarily elicit sympathy, but

sympathy soon turns to scorn and irritation at dieir self-obsessivenessthey

are crying to get attention, we feel, and a malicious part of us wants to deny

them the satisfaction.

Good actors control themselves better. They can play sincere and

heartfelt, can affect a tear and a compassionate look at will, but they don't

have to feel it. They externalize emotion in a form tiiat odiers can

understand. Method acting is fatal in die real world. No ruler or leader

could possibly play the part if all of the emotions he showed had to be real.

So learn self-control. Adopt the plasticity of the actor, who can mold his or

her face to die emotion required.

The second step in die process of self-creation is a variation on die

George Sand strategy: the creation of a memorable character, one that

compels attention, diat stands out above die other players on the stage. This

was the game Abraham Lincoln played. The homespun, common country

man, he knew, was a kind of president that America had never had

but would delight in electing. Although many of these qualities came

naturally to him, he played them upthe hat and clothes, the beard. (No

president before him had worn a beard.) Lincoln was also the first president

to use photographs to spread his image, helping to create the icon of the

“homespun president.”

Good drama, however, needs more than an interesting appearance, or a

single stand-out moment. Drama takes place over timeit is an unfolding

event. Rhythm and timing are critical. One of the most important elements

in the rhythm of drama is suspense. Houdini for instance, could sometimes

complete his escape acts in secondsbut he drew them out to minutes, to

make the audience sweat.

The key to keeping the audience on the edge of their seats is letting

events unfold slowly, then speeding them up at the right moment, according

to a pattern and tempo that you control. Great rulers from Napoleon to Mao

Tse-tung have used theatrical timing to surprise and divert their public.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt understood the importance of staging political

events in a particular order and rhythm.

At the time of his 1932 presidential election, the United States was in

the midst of a dire economic crisis. Banks were failing at an alarming rate.

Shortly after winning the election, Roosevelt went into a kind of retreat. He

said nothing about his plans or his cabinet appointments. He even refused to

meet the sitting president, Herbert Hoover, to discuss the transition. By the

time of Roosevelt's inauguration the country was in a state of high anxiety.

In his inaugural address, Roosevelt shifted gears. He made a powerful

speech, making it clear that he intended to lead the country in a completely

new direction, sweeping away the timid gestures of his predecessors. From

then on the pace of his speeches and public decisionscabinet appointments,

bold legislationunfolded at an incredibly rapid rate. The period after the

inauguration became known as the “Hundred Days,” and its success in

altering the country's mood partly stemmed from Roosevelt's clever pacing

and use of dramatic contrast. He held his audience in suspense, then hit

them with a series of bold gestures that seemed all the more momentous

because they came from nowhere. You must learn to orchestrate events in a

similar manner, never revealing all your cards at once, but unfolding them

in a way that heightens their dramatic effect.

Besides covering a multitude of sins, good drama can also confuse and

deceive your enemy. During World War II, the German playwright Bertolt

Brecht worked in Hollywood as a screenwriter. After the war he was called

before the House Committee on Un-American Activities for his supposed

Communist sympathies. Other writers who had been called to testify

planned to humiliate the committee members with an angry emotional

stand. Brecht was wiser: He would play the committee like a violin,

charming them while fooling them as well. He carefully rehearsed his

responses, and brought along some props, notably a cigar on which he

puffed away, knowing the head of the committee liked cigars. And indeed

he proceeded

to beguile the committee with well-crafted responses that were

ambiguous, funny, and double-edged. Instead of an angry, heartfelt tirade,

he ran circles around them with a staged production, and they let him off

scot-free.

Other dramatic effects for your repertoire include the beau geste, an

action at a climactic moment that symbolizes your triumph or your

boldness. Caesar's dramatic crossing of the Rubicon was a beau geste a

move that dazzled the soldiers and gave him heroic proportions. You must

also appreciate the importance of stage entrances and exits. When Cleopatra

first met Caesar in Egypt, she arrived rolled up in a carpet, which she

arranged to have unfurled at his feet. George Washington twice left power

with flourish and fanfare (first as a general, then as a president who refused

to sit for a third term), showing he knew how to make the moment count,

dramatically and symbolically. Your own entrances and exits should be

crafted and planned as carefully.

Remember that overacting can be counterproductiveit is another way of

spending too much effort trying to attract attention. The actor Richard

Burton discovered early in his career that by standing totally still onstage,

he drew attention to himself and away from the other actors. It is less what

you do that matters, clearly, than how you do ityour gracefulness and

imposing stillness on the social stage count for more than overdoing your

part and moving around too much.

Finally: Learn to play many roles, to be whatever the moment requires.

Adapt your mask to the situationbe protean in die faces you wear. Bismarck

played this game to perfection: To a liberal he was a liberal, to a hawk he

was a hawk. He could not be grasped, and what cannot be grasped cannot

be consumed.

Image:

The Greek Sea-God Proteus.

His power came from his ability to

change shape at will, to be whatever the

moment required. When Menelaus, brother

of Agamemnon, tried to seize him, Proteus

transformed himself into a lion, then a serpent, a

panther, a boar, running water, and finally a leafy tree.

Authority: Know how to be all things to all men. A discreet Proteusa

scholar among scholars, a saint among saints. That is the art of winning

over everyone, for like attracts like. Take note of temperaments and adapt

yourself to that of each person you meetfollow the lead of the serious and

jovial in turn, changing your mood discreedy. (Baltasar Gracian, 1601-

1658)

REVERSAL

There can really be no reversal to this critical law: Bad theater is bad

theater. Even appearing natural requires artin other words, acting. Bad

acting only creates embarrassment. Of course you should not be too

dramaticavoid the histrionic gesture. But that is simply bad theater anyway,

since it violates centuries-old dramatic laws against overacting. In essence

there is no reversal to this law.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 26

KEEP YOUR HANDS CLEAN

JUDGMENT

You must seem a paragon of civility and efficiency: Your hands are

never soiled by mistakes and nasty deeds. Maintain such a spotless

appearance by using others as scapegoats and cat's-paws to disguise your

involvement.

PART I: CONCEAL YOUR MISTAKES-HAVE A SCAPEGOAT

AROUND TO TAKE THE BLAME

Our good name and reputation depend more on what we conceal than

on what we reveal. Everyone makes mistakes, but those who are truly

clever manage to hide them, and to make sure someone else is blamed. A

convenient scapegoat should always be kept around for such moments.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW I

Near die end of the second century A.D., as China's mighty Han Empire

slowly collapsed, the great general and imperial minister Ts'ao Ts'ao

emerged as the most powerful man in the country. Seeking to extend his

power base and to rid himself of the last of his rivals, Ts'ao Ts'ao began a

campaign to take control of the strategically vital Central Plain. During the

siege of a key city, he slightly miscalculated the timing for supplies of grain

to arrive from the capital. As he waited for the shipment to come in, die

army ran low on food, and Ts'ao Ts'ao was forced to order the chief of

commissariat to reduce its rations.

Ts'ao Ts'ao kept a tight rein on the army, and ran a network of informers.

His spies soon reported that the men were complaining, grumbling that he

was living well while diey themselves had barely enough to eat. Perhaps

Ts'ao Ts'ao was keeping die food for himself, they murmured. If the

grumbling spread, Ts'ao Ts'ao could have a mutiny on his hands. He

summoned die chief of commissariat to his tent.

“I want to ask you to lend me something, and you must not refuse,”

Ts'ao Ts'ao told the chief. “What is it” the chief replied. “I want the loan of

your head to show to the troops,” said Ts'ao Ts'ao. “But I've done nodiing

wrong!” cried the chief. “I know,” said Ts'ao Ts'ao with a sigh, “but if I do

not put you to death, there will be a mutiny. Do not grieveafter you're gone,

I'll look after your family.” Put this way, the request left the chief no choice,

so he resigned himself to his fate and was beheaded that very day. Seeing

his head on public display, die soldiers stopped grumbling. Some saw

through Ts'ao Ts'ao's gesture, but kept quiet, stunned and intimidated by his

violence. And most accepted his version of who was to blame, preferring to

believe in his wisdom and fairness tiian in his incompetence and cruelty.

Interpretation

Ts'ao Ts'ao came to power in an extremely tumultuous time. In the

struggle for supremacy in the crumbling Han Empire, enemies had emerged

from all sides. The batde for the Central Plain had proven more difficult

than he imagined, and money and provisions were a constant concern. No

wonder that under such stress, he had forgotten to order supplies in time.

Once it became clear that the delay was a critical mistake, and that the

army was seething with mutiny, Ts'ao Ts'ao had two options: apology and

excuses, or a scapegoat. Understanding the workings of power and the im-

CHEIAl JUSTICE

A great calamity befell the town of Chelm one day. The town cobbler

murdered one of his customers. So he was brought before the judge, who

sentenced him to die by hanging. When the verdict was read a townsman

arose and cried out, “If your Honor pleasesyou have sentenced to death the

town cobbler! He's the only one we've got. If you hang him who will mend

our shoes ” “Who Who”criedall. the people of Chelm with one voice. The

judge nodded in agreement and reconsidered his verdict. “Good people of

Chelm,” he said, “what you say is true. Since we have only one cobbler it

would be a great wrong against the community to let him die. As there are

two roofers in the town let one of them be hanged instead.”

a treasury of jewish

folklore,

Nathan Ausubel, ed.,

portance of appearances as he did, Ts'ao Ts'ao did not hesitate for a

moment: He shopped around for the most convenient head and had it served

up immediately.

Occasional mistakes are inevitablethe world is just too unpredictable.

People of power, however, are undone not by the mistakes they make, but

by die way tiiey deal with them. Like surgeons, they must cut away the

tumor with speed and finality. Excuses and apologies are much too blunt

tools for this delicate operation; the powerful avoid them. By apologizing

you open up all sorts of doubts about your competence, your intentions, any

other mistakes you may not have confessed. Excuses satisfy no one and

apologies make everyone uncomfortable. The mistake does not vanish with

an apology; it deepens and festers. Better to cut it off instantly, distract

attention from yourself, and focus attention on a convenient scapegoat

before people have time to ponder your responsibility or your possible

incompetence.

Would rather betray the whole world than let the world betray me.

General Ts'ao Ts'ao, c. A.D. 155-220

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW II

For several years Cesare Borgia campaigned to gain control of large

parts of Italy in the name of his father, Pope Alexander. In the year 1500 he

managed to take Romagna, in northern Italy. The region had for years been

ruled by a series of greedy masters who had plundered its wealtii for

themselves. Without police or any disciplining force, it had descended into

lawlessness, whole areas being ruled by robbers and feuding families. To

establish order, Cesare appointed a lieutenant general of die region Remirro

de Oreo, “a cruel and vigorous man,” according to Niccolo Machiavelli.

Cesare gave de Oreo absolute powers.

With energy and violence, de Oreo established a severe, brutal justice in

Romagna, and soon rid it of almost all of its lawless elements. But in his

zeal he sometimes went too far, and after a couple of years the local

population resented and even hated him. In December of 1502, Cesare took

decisive action. He first let it be known that he had not approved of de

Oreo's cruel and violent deeds, which stemmed from the lieutenant's brutal

nature. Then, on December 22, he imprisoned de Oreo in the town of Ce-

sena, and the day after Christmas the townspeople awoke to find a strange

spectacle in the middle of the piazza: de Oreo's headless body, dressed in a

lavish suit with a purple cape, die head impaled beside it on a pike, the

bloody knife and executioner's block laid out beside the head. As

Machiavelli concluded his comments on the affair, “The ferocity of this

scene left the people at once stunned and satisfied.”

Interpretation

Cesare Borgia was a master player in the game of power. Always

planning several moves ahead, he set his opponents die cleverest traps. For

this Machiavelli honored him above all others in The Prince.

Cesare foresaw the future with amazing clarity in Romagna: Only brutal

justice would bring order to the region. The process would take several

years, and at first the people would welcome it. But it would soon make

many enemies, and the citizens would come to resent the imposition of such

unforgiving justice, especially by outsiders. Cesare himself, then, could not

be seen as the agent of this justicethe people's hatred would cause too many

problems in the future. And so he chose the one man who could do the dirty

work, knowing in advance that once the task was done he would have to

display de Oreo's head on a pike. The scapegoat in this case had been

planned from the beginning.

With Ts'ao Ts'ao, the scapegoat was an entirely innocent man; in the

Romagna, he was the offensive weapon in Cesare's arsenal that let him get

the dirty work done without bloodying his own hands. With this second

kind of scapegoat it is wise to separate yourself from the hatchet man at

some point, either leaving him dangling in the wind or, like Cesare, even

making yourself the one to bring him to justice. Not only are you free of

involvement in the problem, you can appear as the one who cleaned it up.

The Athenians regularly maintained a number of degraded and useless

beings at the public expense; and when any calamity, such as plague,

drought, or famine, befell the city . . . [these scapegoats] were led about.

. .

and then sacrificed, apparently by being stoned outside the city.

The Golden Bough, Sir James George Frazer, 1854-1941

KEYS TO POWER

The use of scapegoats is as old as civilization itself, and examples of it

can be found in cultures around the world. The main idea behind these

sacrifices is the shifting of guilt and sin to an outside figureobject, animal,

or manwhich is then banished or destroyed. The Hebrews used to take a live

goat (hence the term “scapegoat”) upon whose head ihe priest would lay

both hands while confessing the sins of the Children of Israel. Having thus

had those sins transferred to it, the beast would be led away and abandoned

in the wilderness. With the Athenians and the Aztecs, the scapegoat was

human, often a person fed and raised for the purpose. Since famine and

plague were drought to be visited on humans by the gods, in punishment for

wrongdoing, the people suffered not only from the famine and plague

themselves but from blame and guilt. They freed themselves of guilt by

transferring it to an innocent person, whose death was intended to satisfy

the divine powers and banish the evil from their midst.

It is an extremely human response to not look inward after a mistake or

crime, but rather to look outward and to affix blame and guilt on a

convenient object. When the plague was ravaging Thebes, Oedipus looked

everywhere for its cause, everywhere except inside himself and his own sin

of incest, which had so offended the gods and occasioned the plague. This

profound need to exteriorize one's guilt, to project it on another person or

object, has an immense power, which the clever know how to harness. Sac-

rifice is a ritual, perhaps the most ancient ritual of all; ritual too is a

well-spring of power. In the killing of de Oreo, note Cesare's symbolic and

ritualistic display of his body. By framing it in this dramatic way he focused

guilt outward. The citizens of Romagna responded instantly. Because it

comes so naturally to us to look outward rather than inward, we readily

accept the scapegoat's guilt.

The bloody sacrifice of the scapegoat seems a barbaric relic of the past,

but the practice lives on to this day, if indirectly and symbolically; since

power depends on appearances, and those in power must seem never to

make mistakes, the use of scapegoats is as popular as ever. What modern

leader will take responsibility for his blunders He searches out others to

blame, a scapegoat to sacrifice. When Mao Tse-tung's Cultural Revolution

failed miserably, he made no apologies or excuses to the Chinese people;

instead, like Ts'ao Ts'ao before him, he offered up scapegoats, including his

own personal secretary and high-ranking member of the Party, Ch'en Po-ta.

Franklin D. Roosevelt had a reputation for honesty and fairness.

Throughout his career, however, he faced many situations in which being

the nice guy would have spelled political disasteryet he could not be seen as

the agent of any foul play. For twenty years, then, his secretary, Louis

Howe, played the role de Oreo had. He handled the backroom deals, the

manipulation of the press, the underhanded campaign maneuvers. And

whenever a mistake was committed, or a dirty trick contradicting

Roosevelt's carefully crafted image became public, Howe served as the

scapegoat, and never complained.

Besides conveniently shifting blame, a scapegoat can serve as a warning

to others. In 1631 a plot was hatched to oust France's Cardinal Richelieu

from power, a plot that became known as “The Day of the Dupes.” It almost

succeeded, since it involved the upper echelons of government, including

the queen mother. But through luck and his own connivances, Richelieu

survived.

One of die key conspirators was a man named Marillac, the keeper of

the seals. Richelieu could not imprison him without implicating the queen

modier, an extremely dangerous tactic, so he targeted Marillac's brother, a

marshal in the army. This man had no involvement in the plot. Richelieu,

however, afraid that other conspiracies might be in the air, especially in the

army, decided to set an example. He tried the brother on trumped-up

charges and had him executed. In this way he indirectly punished the real

perpetrator, who had thought himself protected, and warned any future

conspirators that he would not shrink from sacrificing the innocent to

protect his own power.

In fact it is often wise to choose the most innocent victim possible as a

sacrificial goat. Such people will not be powerful enough to fight you, and

their naive protests may be seen as protesting too muchmay be seen, in

other words, as a sign of their guilt. Be careful, however, not to create a

martyr. It is important that you remain the victim, the poor leader betrayed

by the incompetence of those around you. If the scapegoat appears too

weak and his punishment too cruel, you may end up the victim of your own

device. Sometimes you should find a more powerful scapegoatone who will

elicit less sympatiry in the long run.

In this vein, history has time and again shown the value of using a close

associate as a scapegoat. This is known as the “fall of the favorite.” Most

kings had a personal favorite at court, a man whom they singled out,

sometimes for no apparent reason, and lavished with favors and attention.

But this court favorite could serve as a convenient scapegoat in case of a

threat to the king's reputation. The public would readily believe in the

scapegoat's guiltwhy would the king sacrifice his favorite unless he were

guilty And the other courtiers, resentful of the favorite anyway, would

rejoice at his downfall. The king, meanwhile, would rid himself of a man

who by that time had probably learned too much about him, perhaps

becoming arrogant and even disdainful of him. Choosing a close associate

as a scapegoat has the same value as the “fall of the favorite.” You may lose

a friend or aide, but in the long-term scheme of things, it is more important

to hide your mistakes than to hold on to someone who one day will

probably turn against you. Besides, you can always find a new favorite to

take his place.

Image: The Innocent Goat. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest

brings the goat into the temple, places his hands on its head, and confesses

die people's sins, transferring guilt to the guiltless beast, which is then led to

the wilderness and abandoned, the people's sins

and blame vanishing with him.

Authority: Folly consists not in committing Folly, but in being incapable

of concealing it. All men make mistakes, but the wise conceal die blunders

they have made, while fools make them public. Reputation depends more

on what is hidden than on what is seen. If you can't be good, be careful.

(Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)

PART II: MAKE USE OF THE CAT'S-PAW In the fable, the Monkey

grabs the paw of his friend, the Cat, and uses it to fish chestnuts out of the

fire, thus getting the nuts he craves, without hurting himself.

If there is something unpleasant or unpopular that needs to be done, it is

far too risky for you to do the work yourself. You need a cat's-paw someone

who does the dirty, dangerous work for you. The cat's-paw grabs what you

need, hurts whom you need hurt, and keeps people from noticing that you

are the one responsible. Let someone else be the executioner, or the bearer

of bad news, while you bring only joy and glad tidings.

A monkey and cat, in

roguery and fun

Sworn brothers twain,

both owned a common

master,

Whatever mischief in

the house was done

By Pug and Tom

was contrived each

disaster....

One winter's day was

seen this hopeful pair

Close to the kitchen

fire, as usual, posted.

Amongst the red-hot

coals the cook with

care

Had plac 'd some nice

plump chestnuts to be

roasted,

From whence in smoke

a pungent odor rose,

Whose oily fragrance

struck the monkey's

nose.

“Tom!” says sly Pug,

"pray could not you

and 1

Share this dessert the

cook is pleased to

cater

Had I such claws as

yours, I'd quickly try:

Lend me a hand 'twill

be a coup-de-maitre."

So said, he seized his

colleague's ready paw,

Pulled out the fruit,

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW I

In 59 B.C., the future queen Cleopatra of Egypt, then ten years old,

witnessed the overthrow and banishment of her father, Ptolemy XII, at the

hand of his elder daughtersher own sisters. One of the daughters, Berenice,

emerged as the leader of the rebellion, and to ensure that she would now

rule Egypt alone, she imprisoned her other sisters and murdered her own

husband. This may have been necessary as a practical step to secure her

rule. But that a member of the royal family, a queen no less, would so

overtly exact such violence on her own family horrified her subjects and

stirred up powerful opposition. Four years later this opposition was able to

return Ptolemy to power, and he promptly had Berenice and the other elder

sisters beheaded.

In 51 B.C. Ptolemy died, leaving four remaining children as heirs. As

was the tradition in Egypt, the eldest son, Ptolemy XIII (only ten at the

time), married the elder sister, Cleopatra (now eighteen), and the couple

took the throne together as king and queen. None of the four children felt

satisfied with this; everyone, including Cleopatra, wanted more power. A

struggle emerged between Cleopatra and Ptolemy, each trying to push the

other to the side.

In 48 B.C., with the help of a government faction that feared Cleopatra's

ambitions, Ptolemy was able to force his sister to flee the country, leaving

himself as sole ruler. In exile, Cleopatra schemed. She wanted to rule alone

and to restore Egypt to its past glory, a goal she felt none of her other

siblings could achieve; yet as long as they were alive, she could not

reahze'her dream. And the example of Berenice had made it clear that no

one would serve a queen who was seen murdering her own kind. Even

Ptolemy XIII had not dared murder Cleopatra, although he knew she would

plot against him from abroad.

Within a year after Cleopatra's banishment, the Roman dictator Julius

Caesar arrived in Egypt, determined to make the country a Roman colony.

Cleopatra saw her chance: Reentering Egypt in disguise, she traveled

hundreds of miles to reach Caesar in Alexandria. Legend has it that she had

herself smuggled into his presence rolled up inside a carpet, which was

gracefully unfurled at his feet, revealing the young queen. Cleopatra

immediately went to work on the Roman. She appealed to his love of

spectacle and his interest in Egyptian history, and poured on her feminine

charms. Caesar soon succumbed and restored Cleopatra to the throne.

Cleopatra's siblings seethedshe had outmaneuvered them. Ptolemy XIII

would not wait to see what happened next: From his palace in Alexandria,

he summoned a great army to march on the city and attack Caesar. In

response, Caesar immediately put Ptolemy and the rest of the family under

house arrest. But Cleopatra's younger sister Arsinoe escaped from the

palace and placed herself at the head of the approaching Egyptian troops,

proclaiming herself queen of Egypt. Now Cleopatra finally saw her chance:

She convinced Caesar to release Ptolemy from house arrest, under the

agreement mat he would broker a truce. Of course she knew he would do

the oppositethat he would fight Arsinoe for control of the Egyptian army.

But this was to Cleopatra's benefit, for it would divide the royal family.

Better still, it would give Caesar the chance to defeat and kill her siblings in

batde.

Reinforced by troops from Rome, Caesar swiftly defeated the rebels. In

the Egyptians' retreat, Ptolemy drowned in the Nile. Caesar captured

Arsinoe and had her sent to Rome as a prisoner. He also executed the

numerous enemies who had conspired against Cleopatra, and imprisoned

others who had opposed her. To reinforce her position as uncontested

queen, Cleopatra now married die only sibling left, Ptolemy XIVonly eleven

at die time, and the weakest of the lot. Four years later Ptolemy

mysteriously died, of poison.

In 41 B.C., Cleopatra employed on a second Roman leader, Marc

Antony, the same tactics she had used so well on Julius Caesar. After

seducing him, she hinted to him that her sister Arsinoe, still a prisoner in

Rome, had conspired to destroy him. Marc Antony believed her and

prompdy had Arsinoe executed, diereby getting rid of die last of the siblings

who had posed such a threat to Cleopatra.

Interpretation

Legend has it mat Cleopatra succeeded dirough her seductive charms,

but in reality her power came from an ability to get people to do her bidding

without realizing diey were being manipulated. Caesar and Antony not only

rid her of her most dangerous siblingsPtolemy XIII and Arsinoe they

decimated all of her enemies, in both the government and the military. The

two men became her cat's-paws. They entered the fire for her, did the ugly

but necessary work, while shielding her from appearing as the destroyer of

her siblings and fellow Egyptians. And in the end, both men acquiesced to

her desire to rule Egypt not as a Roman colony but as an independent allied

kingdom. And they did all mis for her widiout realizing how she had

manipulated them. This was persuasion of the subdest and most powerful

kind.

and crammed it in his

jaw.

Now came the shining

Mistress of the fane,

And off in haste the

two marauders

scampered.

Tom for his share of

the plunder had the

pain,

Whilst Pug his palate

with the dainties

pampered.

FABLES,

Jean de La Fontaine, 1621-1695

THE CROtt'-IIKN. TIIK COBRA. AM) THK JACKAL

Once upon a time there was a crow and his wife who had built a nest in

a banyan tree. A big snake crawled into the hollow trunk and ale up the

chicks as they were hatched. The crow did not want to move, since he loved

the tree dearly. So he went to his friend the jackal for advice. A plan of

action was devised. The crow and his wife flew about in implementation.

As the wife approached a pond, she saw the women of the king's court

bathing, with pearls, necklaces, gems, garments, and a golden chain laying

on the shore. The crow-hen seized the golden chain in her beak and flew

toward the banyan tree with the eunuchs in pursuit. When she reached the

tree, she dropped the chain into the hole. As the kings'

men climbed the tree

for the chain, they saw

the swelling hood of

the cobra. So they

killed the snake with

their clubs, retrieved

the golden chain, and

went back to the pond.

And the crow and

his wife lived happily

ever after.

A TALE FROM THE

PANCHA1 ANTRA,

FOURTH CENTURY,

RETOLD IN

THE CRAFT OF POWER,

R.G. H. Siu, 1979

A queen must never dirty her hands with ugly tasks, nor can a king

appear in public with blood on his face. Yet power cannot survive without

the constant squashing of enemiesthere will always be dirty little tasks that

have to be done to keep you on the throne. Like Cleopatra, you need a cat's-

paw.

This will usually be a person from outside your immediate circle, who

will therefore be unlikely to realize how he or she is being used. You will

find these dupes everywherepeople who enjoy doing you favors, especially

if you throw them a minimal bone or two in exchange. But as they

accomplish tasks that may seem to them innocent enough, or at least

completely justified, they are actually clearing the field for you, spreading

the information you feed them, undermining people they do not realize are

your rivals, inadvertently furthering your cause, dirtying dieir hands while

yours remain spotless.

HOW TO BROADCAST NKWS

When Omar, son of al-Khattab, was converted to Islam, he wanted the

news of his conversion to reach everyone quickly. He went to see Jamil, son

of Ma 'mar al-Jumahi. The latter was renowned for the speed with which he

passed on secrets. If he was told anything in confidence, he let everyone

know about it immediately. Omar said to him: “I have become a Muslim.

Do not say anything. Keep it dark. Do not mention it in front of anyone.”

Jamil went out into the street and began shouting at the top of his voice:

“Do you believe that Omar, son of al-Khattab, has not become a Muslim

Well, do not believe that! I am telling you that he has!”

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW II

In the late 1920s, civil war broke out in China as the Nationalist and

Communist parties battled for control of the country. In 1927 Chiang Kai-

shek, the Nationalist leader, vowed to kill every last Communist, and over

die next few years he nearly accomplished his task, pushing his enemies

hard until, in 1934-1935, he forced them into the Long March, a six-

thousand-mile retreat from the southeast to the remote northwest, dirough

harsh terrain, in which most of their ranks were decimated. In late 1936

Chiang planned one last offensive to wipe them out, but he was caught in a

mutiny: His own soldiers captured him and turned him over to the

Communists. Now he could only expect the worst.

Meanwhile, however, the Japanese began an invasion of China, and

much to Chiang's surprise, instead of killing him the Communist leader,

Mao Tse-tung, proposed a deal: The Communists would let him go, and

would recognize him as commander of their forces as well as his, if he

would agree to fight alongside them against dieir common enemy. Chiang

had expected torture and execution; now he could not believe his luck. How

soft these Reds had become. Without having to fight a rearguard action

against die Communists, he knew he could beat the Japanese, and then a

few years down die line he would turn around and destroy the Reds with

ease. He had nothing to lose and everything to gain by agreeing to their

terms.

The Communists proceeded to fight die Japanese in their usual fashion,

with hit-and-run guerrilla tactics, while the Nationalists fought a more

conventional war. Togetiier, after several years, they succeeded in evicting

the Japanese. Now, however, Chiang finally understood what Mao had

really planned. His own army had met die brunt of the Japanese artillery,

was greatly weakened, and would take a few years to recover. The

Communists, meanwhile, had not only avoided any direct hits from the

Japanese, they had used the time to recoup their strength, and to spread out

and gain pockets of influence all over China. As soon as the war against

the Japanese ended, the civil war started againbut this time the Communists

enveloped the weakened Nationalists and slowly beat them into submission.

The Japanese had served as Mao's cat's-paw, inadvertentiy ploughing the

fields for die Communists and making possible dieir victory over Chiang

Kai-shek.

Interpretation

Most leaders who had taken as powerful an enemy as Chiang Kai-shek

prisoner would have made sure to kill him. But in doing so they would have

lost the chance Mao exploited. Without the experienced Chiang as leader of

the Nationalists, the fight to drive die Japanese out might have lasted much

longer, widi devastating results. Mao was far too clever to let anger spoil

the chance to kill two birds with one stone. In essence, Mao used two cat's-

paws to help him attain total victory. First, he cleverly baited Chiang into

taking charge of the war against die Japanese. Mao knew the Nationalists

led by Chiang would do most of the hard fighting and would succeed in

pushing the Japanese out of China, if tiiey did not have to concern

themselves with fighting the Communists at the same time. The

Nationalists, then, were the first cat's-paw, used to evict the Japanese. But

Mao also knew that in die process of leading the war against the invaders,

the Japanese artillery and air support would decimate the conventional

forces of the Nationalists, doing damage it could take the Communists

decades to inflict. Why waste time and lives if die Japanese could do die job

quickly It was this wise policy of using one cat's-paw after another that

allowed the Communists to prevail.

There are two uses of the cat's-paw: to save appearances, as Cleopatra

did, and to save energy and effort. The latter case in particular demands that

you plan several moves in advance, realizing that a temporary move

backward (letting Chiang go, say) can lead to a giant leap forward. If you

are temporarily weakened and need time to recover, it will often serve you

well to use those around you botii as a screen to hide your intentions and as

a cat's-paw to do your work for you. Look for a powerful third party who

shares an enemy with you (if for different reasons), then take advantage of

their superior power to deal blows which would have cost you much more

energy, since you are weaker. You can even gendy guide them into

hostilities. Always search out die overly aggressive as potential cat's-

pawsdiey are often more than willing to get into a fight, and you can choose

just the right fight for your purposes.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW III

Kuriyama Daizen was an adept of Cha-no-yu (Hot Water for Tea, the

Japanese tea ceremony) and a student of the teachings of the great tea

master Sen no Rikyu. Around 1620 Daizen learned that a friend of his,

Hoshino Soemon, had borrowed a large sum of money (300 ryo) to help a

The news of Omar's conversion to Islam was spread everywhere. And

that was just what he intended.

THE SUBTLE RUSE: THE BOOK OF ARABIC WISDOM AND

GUILE, THIRTEENTH CENTURY

A FOOL AND A WISE MAN

A wise man, walking alone, Was being bothered by a fool throwing

stones at his head. Turning to face him, he said:

"My dear chap, well thrown!

Please accept these few francs. You 've worked hard enough to get more

than mere thanks. Every effort deserves its reward.

But see that man over there He can afford More than 1 can-Present him

with some of your stones: they'll earn a good wage." Lured by the bait, the

stupid man Ran off to repeat the outrage On the other worthy citizen.

This time he wasn 't paid in money for his stones. Up rushed serving-

men, And seized him and thrashed him and broke all his bones. In the

courts of kings there are pests like this, devoid of sense: They'll make their

master laugh at your

expense.

To silence their cackle,

should you hand out

rough

Punishment Maybe

you 're not strong

enough.

Better persuade them

to attack

Somebody else, who

can more than pay

them back.

selected fables,

Jean de La Fontaine,

1621-1695

A merchant kept a bird in a cage. He was going to India, the land from

which the bird came, and asked it whether he could bring anything back for

it. The bird asked for its freedom, but was refused. So he asked the

merchant to visit a jungle in India and announce his captivity to the free

birds who were there. The merchant did so, and no sooner had he spoken

when a wild bird, just like his own, fell senseless out of a tree on to the

ground. The merchant thought that this must be a relative of his own bird,

and felt sad that he should have caused this death. When he got home, the

bird asked him whether he had brought good news from India. “No,”said

the merchant, "1 fear that my news is bad. One of

relative who had fallen into debt. But although Soemon had managed to

bail out his relative, he had simply displaced the burden onto himself.

Daizen knew Soemon wellhe neither cared nor understood much about

money, and could easily get into trouble through slowness in repaying the

loan, which had been made by a wealthy merchant called Kawachiya

Sanemon. Yet if Daizen offered to help Soemon pay back the loan, he

would refuse, out of pride, and might even be offended.

One day Daizen visited his friend, and after touring the garden and

looking at Soemon's prized peonies, they retired to his reception room. Here

Daizen saw a painting by the master Kano Tennyu. “Ah,” Daizen

exclaimed, “a splendid piece of painting. ... I don't know when I have seen

anything I like better.” After several more bouts of praise, Soemon had no

choice: “Well,” he said, “since you like it so much, I hope you will do me

the favor of accepting it.”

At first Daizen refused, but when Soemon insisted he gave in. The next

day Soemon in turn received a package from Daizen. Inside it was a

beautiful and delicate vase, which Daizen, in an accompanying note, asked

his friend to accept as a token of his appreciation for the painting that

Soemon had so graciously given him the day before. He explained that the

vase had been made by Sen no Rikyu himself, and bore an inscription from

Emperor Hideyoshi. If Soemon did not care for the vase, Daizen suggested,

he might make a gift of it to an adherent of Cha-no-yuperhaps the merchant

Kawachiya Sanemon, who had often expressed a desire to possess it. “I

hear,” Daizen continued, “he has a fine piece of fancy paper [the 300-ryo

I.O.U.] which you would much like. It is possible you might arrange an

exchange.”

Realizing what his gracious friend was up to, Soemon took the vase to

the wealthy lender. “However did you get this,” exclaimed Sanemon, when

Soemon showed him the vase. “I have often heard of it, but this is the first

time I have ever seen it. It is such a treasure that it is never allowed outside

the gate!” He instandy offered to exchange the debt note for the flower

vase, and to give Soemon 300 ryo more on top of it. But Soemon, who did

not care for money, only wanted the debt note back, and Sanemon gladly

gave it to him. Then Soemon immediately hurried to Daizen's house to

thank him for his clever support.

Interpretation

Kuriyama Daizen understood that the granting of a favor is never

simple: If it is done with fuss and obviousness, its receiver feels burdened

by an obligation. This may give the doer a certain power, but it is a power

that will eventually self-destruct, for it will stir up resentment and

resistance. A favor done indirecdy and elegantly has ten times more power.

Daizen knew a direct approach would only have offended Soemon. By

letting his friend give him the painting, however, he made Soemon feel that

he too had pleased his friend with a gift. In the end, all three parties

emerged from the encounter feeling fulfilled in their own way.

In essence, Daizen made himself the cat's-paw, the tool to take the

chestnuts out of the fire. He must have felt some pain in losing the vase, but

he gained not only the painting but, more important, the power of the

courtier. The courtier uses his gloved hand to soften any blows against him,

disguise his scars, and make the act of rescue more elegant and clean. By

helping others, the courtier eventually helps himself. Daizen's example

provides the paradigm for every favor done between friends and peers:

never impose your favors. Search out ways to make yourself the cat's-paw,

indirectly extricating your friends from distress without imposing yourself

or making them feel obligated to you.

One should not be too straightforward. Go and see the forest. The

straight trees are cut down, the crooked ones are left standing.

Kautilya, Indian philosopher, third century B.C.

KEYS TO POWER

As a leader you may imagine that constant diligence, and the

appearance of working harder than anyone else, signify power. Actually,

though, they have the opposite effect: They imply weakness. Why are you

working so hard Perhaps you are incompetent, and have to put in extra

effort just to keep up; perhaps you are one of those people who does not

know how to delegate, and has to meddle in everything. The truly powerful,

on the other hand, seem never to be in a hurry or overburdened. While

others work their fingers to the bone, they take their leisure. They know

how to find the right people to put in the effort while they save their energy

and keep their hands out of the fire. Similarly, you may believe that by

taking on the dirty work yourself, involving yourself directly in unpleasant

actions, you impose your power and instill fear. In fact you make yourself

look ugly, and abusive of your high position. Truly powerful people keep

their hands clean. Only good things surround them, and die only

announcements they make are of glorious achievements.

You will often find it necessary, of course, to expend energy, or to effect

an evil but necessary action. But you must never appear to be this action's

agent. Find a cat's-paw. Develop the arts of finding, using, and, in time,

getting rid of these people when their cat's-paw role has been fulfilled.

On the eve of an important river battle, the great third-century Chinese

strategist Chuko Liang found himself falsely accused of secretly working

for die other side. As proof of his loyalty, his commander ordered him to

produce 100,000 arrows for the army within three days, or be put to death.

Instead of trying to manufacture the arrows, an impossible task, Liang took

a dozen boats and had bundles of straw lashed to their sides. In the late

afternoon, when mist always blanketed the river, he floated the boats toward

the enemy camp. Fearing a trap from the wily Chuko Liang, the enemy did

not attack the barely visible boats with boats of their own,

your relations collapsed and fell at my feet when I mentioned your

captivity. “ As soon as these words were spoken the merchant's bird

collapsed and fell to the bottom of the cage. ”The news of his kinsman 's

death has killed him, too,“ thought the merchant. Sorrowfully he picked up

the bird and put it on the windowsill. At once the bird revived and flew to a

nearby tree. ”Now you know,“ the bird said, ”that what you thought was

disaster was in fact good news for me. And how the message, the

suggestion of how to behave in order to free myself, was transmitted to me

through you, my captor. " And he flew away, free at last.

tales of the dervishes, Idries Shah, 1967

DAVID AND BAT1ISHKBA

At the turn of the year, when kings take the field, David sent Joab out

with his other officers and all the Israelite forces, and they ravaged Amnion

and laid siege to Rabbah, while David remained in Jerusalem. One evening

David got up from his couch and, as he walked about on the roof of the

palace, he saw from there a woman bathing and she was very beautiful. He

sent to inquire who she was, and the answer came, "It must be Bathsheba,

daughter of Eliam and wife of

Uriah the Hittite "

David wrote a letter to

Joab and sent Uriah

with it. He wrote in the

letter: "Put Uriah

opposite the enemy

where the fighting is

fiercest and then fall

back, and leave him to

meet his death. "...

Joab ... stationed

Uriah at a point where

he knew they would

put up a stout fight. The

men of the city sallied

out and engaged Joab,

and some of David's

guards fell; Uriah the

Hittite was also killed.

Joab sent David a

dispatch with all the

news of the battle....

When Uriah's wife

heard that her husband

was dead, she mourned

for him; and when the

period of mourning

was over, David sent

for her and brought her

into his house. She

became his wife and

bore him a son.

OLD TESTAMENT, 2SAMUHL, 11-12

but showered them with arrows from the bank. As Liang's boats inched

closer, they redoubled the rain of arrows, which stuck in the thick straw.

After several hours, the men hiding on board sailed the vessels quickly

downstream, where Chuko Liang met diem and collected his 100,000

arrows.

Chuko Liang would never do work that others could do for himhe was

always thinking up tricks like this one. The key to planning such a strategy

is the ability to think far ahead, to imagine ways in which other people can

be baited into doing the job for you.

An essential element in making this strategy work is to disguise your

goal, shrouding it in mystery, like the strange enemy boats appearing dimly

in the mist. When your rivals cannot be sure what you are after, they will

react in ways that often work against them in the long run. In fact they will

become your cat's-paws. If you disguise your intentions, it is much easier to

guide them into moves mat accomplish exacdy what you want done, but

prefer not to do yourself. This may require planning several moves in

advance, like a billiard ball that bounces off the sides a few times before

heading into the right pocket.

The early-twentieth-century American con artist Yellow Kid Weil knew

that no matter how skillfully he homed in on the perfect wealthy sucker, if

he, a stranger, approached mis man directly, the sucker might become

suspicious. So Weil would find someone the sucker already knew to serve

as a cat's-pawsomeone lower on the totem pole who was himself an

unlikely target, and would therefore be less suspicious. Weil would interest

mis man in a scheme promising incredible weahh. Convinced the scheme

was for real, the cat's-paw would often suggest, without prompting, that his

boss or wealthy friend should get involved: Having more cash to invest, this

man would increase the size of the pot, making bigger bucks for all

concerned. The cat's-paw would then involve the wealthy sucker who had

been Weil's target all along, but who would not suspect a trap, since it was

his trusty subordinate who had roped him in. Devices like mis are often the

best way to approach a person of power: Use an associate or subordinate to

hook you up with your primary target. The cat's-paw establishes your

credibility and shields you from the unsavory appearance of being too

pushy in your courtship.

The easiest and most effective way to use a cat's-paw is often to plant

information with him that he will then spread to your primary target. False

or planted information is a powerful tool, especially if spread by a dupe

whom no one suspects. You will find it very easy to play innocent and

disguise yourself as the source.

The strategic therapist Dr. Milton H. Erickson would often encounter

among his patients a married couple in which the wife wanted the therapy

but the husband absolutely refused it. Rather than wasting energy trying to

deal with the man direcdy, Dr. Erickson would see the wife alone, and as

she talked he would interject interpretations of the husband's behavior that

he knew would rile the husband up if he heard them. Sure enough, die wife

would tell her husband what the doctor had said. After a few weeks die

husband would be so furious he would insist on joining his wife in the

sessions so he could set the doctor straight.

Finally, you may well find cases in which deliberately offering yourself

as the cat's-paw will ultimately gain you great power. This is the ruse of the

perfect courtier. Its symbol is Sir Walter Raleigh, who once placed his own

cloak on the muddy ground so that Queen Elizabeth would not sully her

shoes. As the instrument that protects a master or peer from unpleasantness

or danger, you gain immense respect, which sooner or later will pay

dividends. And remember: If you can make your assistance subde and

gracious rather than boastful and burdensome, your recompense will be that

much die more satisfying and powerful.

Image: The Cat's-Paw.

It has long claws to grab

things. It is soft and

padded. Take hold of the cat

and use its paw to pluck

things out of the fire, to claw

your enemy, to play with the

mouse before devouring it.

Sometimes you hurt the

cat, but most often it

doesn't feel a thing.

Authority: Do everything pleasant yourself, everything unpleasant

through third parties. By adopting the first course you win favor, by taking

the second you deflect ill will. Important affairs often require rewards and

punishments. Let only the good come from you and the evil from others.

(Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)

REVERSAL

The cat's-paw and the scapegoat must be used with extreme caution and

delicacy. They are like screens that hide your own involvement in dirty

work from the public; if at any moment the screen is lifted and you are seen

as the manipulator, the puppet master, the whole dynamic turns aroundyour

hand will be seen everywhere, and you will be blamed for misfortunes you

may have had nothing to do with. Once the truth is revealed, events will

snowball beyond your control.

In 1572, Queen Catherine de' Medicis of France conspired to do away

with Gaspard de Coligny, an admiral in the French navy and a leading

member of the Huguenot (French Protestant) community. Coligny was

close to Catherine's son, Charles IX, and she feared his growing influence

on the young king. So she arranged for a member of the Guise family, one

of the most powerful royal clans in France, to assassinate him.

Secretly, however, Catherine had another plan: She wanted the

Huguenots to blame the Guises for killing one of their leaders, and to take

revenge. With one blow, she would erase or injure two threatening rivals,

Coligny and the Guise family. Yet both plans went awry. The assassin

missed his target, only wounding Coligny; knowing Catherine as his enemy,

he strongly suspected it was she who had set up the attack on him, and he

told the king so. Eventually the failed assassination and the arguments that

ensued from it set off a chain of events that led to a bloody civil war

between Catholics and Protestants, culminating in the horrifying Massacre

of St. Bartholomew's Eve, in which thousands of Protestants were killed.

If you have to use a cat's-paw or a scapegoat in an action of great

consequence, be very careful: Too much can go wrong. It is often wiser to

use such dupes in more innocent endeavors, where mistakes or

miscalculations will cause no serious harm.

Finally, there are moments when it is advantageous to not disguise your

involvement or responsibility, but rather to take the blame yourself for some

mistake. If you have power and are secure in it, you should sometimes play

the penitent: With a sorrowful look, you ask for forgiveness from those

weaker than you. It is the ploy of the king who makes a show of his own

sacrifices for die good of die people. Similarly, upon occasion you may

want to appear as the agent of punishment in order to instill fear and

trembling in your subordinates. Instead of the cat's-paw you show your own

mighty hand as a threatening gesture. Play such a card sparingly. If you play

it too often, fear will turn into resentment and hatred. Before you know it,

such emotions will spark a vigorous opposition that will someday bring you

down. Get in the habit of using a cat's-pawit is far safer.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 27

PLAY ON PEOPLE'S NEED

TO BELIEVE TO CREATE A

CULTLIKE FOLLOWING

JUDGMENT

People have an overwhelming desire to believe in something. Become

the focal point of such desire by offering them a cause, a new faith to

follow. Keep your words vague but full of promise; emphasize enthusiasm

over rationality and clear thinking. Give your new disciples rituals to

perform, ask them to make sacrifices on your behalf. In the absence of

organized religion and grand causes, your new belief system will bring you

untold power.

He was to the charlatan's advantage that the individuals predisposed to

credulity should multiply, that the groups of his adherents should enlarge to

mass proportions, guaranteeing an ever greater scope for his triumphs. And

this was in fact to occur, as science was popularized, from the Renaissance

on down through succeeding centuries. With the immense growth of

knowledge and its spread through printing in modern times, the mass of the

half educated, the eagerly gullible prey of the quack, also increased, became

indeed a majority; real power could be based on their wishes, opinions,

preferences, and rejections. The charlatan's empire accordingly widened

with the modern dissemination of knowledge; since he operated on the basis

of science, however much he perverted it, producing gold with a technique

borrowed from chemistry and his wonderful balsams with the apparatus of

medicine, he could not appeal to an entirely ignorant folk. The illiterate

would be protected against his absurdities by their healthy common sense.

His choicest audience would be composed of the semiliterate, those who

had exchanged their common sense for a little distorted information and had

THE SCIENCE OF CHARLATANISM, OR HOW TO CREATE A

CULT IN FIVE EASY STEPS In searching, as you must, for the methods

that will gain you the most power for the least effort, you will find the

creation of a cultlike following one of the most effective. Having a large

following opens up all sorts of possibilities for deception; not only will your

followers worship you, they will defend you from your enemies and will

voluntarily take on the work of enticing others to join your fledgling cult.

This kind of power will lift you to another realm: You will no longer have

to struggle or use subterfuge to enforce your will. You are adored and can

do no wrong.

You might think it a gargantuan task to create such a following, but in

fact it is fairly simple. As humans, we have a desperate need to believe in

something, anything. This makes us eminently gullible: We simply cannot

endure long periods of doubt, or of the emptiness that comes from a lack of

something to believe in. Dangle in front of us some new cause, elixir, get-

rich-quick scheme, or the latest technological trend or art movement and we

leap from the water as one to take the bait. Look at history: The chronicles

of the new trends and cults that have made a mass following for diem-

selves could fill a library. After a few centuries, a few decades, a few years,

a few months, they generally look ridiculous, but at the time they seem so

attractive, so transcendental, so divine.

Always in a rush to believe in something, we will manufacture saints

and faiths out of nothing. Do not let this gullibility go to waste: Make

yourself the object of worship. Make people form a cult around you.

The great European charlatans of the sixteenth and seventeenth

centuries mastered the art of cultmaking. They lived, as we do now, in a

time of transformation: Organized religion was on the wane, science on the

rise. People were desperate to rally around a new cause or faith. The

charlatans had begun by peddling health elixirs and alchemic shortcuts to

wealth. Moving quickly from town to town, they originally focused on

small groupsuntil, by accident, they stumbled on a truth of human nature:

The larger the group they gathered around themselves, the easier it was to

deceive.

The charlatan would station himself on a high wooden platform (hence

the term “mountebank”) and crowds would swarm around him. In a group

setting, people were more emotional, less able to reason. Had the charlatan

spoken to them individually, they might have found him ridiculous, but lost

in a crowd they got caught up in a communal mood of rapt attention. It

became impossible for them to find the distance to be skeptical. Any

deficiencies in the charlatan's ideas were hidden by the zeal of the mass.

Passion and enthusiasm swept tiirough the crowd like a contagion, and they

reacted violently to anyone who dared to spread a seed of doubt. Both

consciously studying this dynamic over decades of experiment and

spontaneously adapting to these situations as diey happened, the charlatans

perfected the science of attracting and holding a crowd, molding die crowd

into followers and die followers into a cult.

The gimmicks of the charlatans may seem quaint today, but there are

thousands of charlatans among us still, using the same tried-and-true

methods their predecessors refined centuries ago, only changing die names

of their elixirs and modernizing the look of their cults. We find diese latter-

day charlatans in all arenas of lifebusiness, fashion, politics, art. Many of

them, perhaps, are following in the charlatan tradition without having any

knowledge of its history, but you can be more systematic and deliberate.

Simply follow die five steps of cultmaking that our charlatan ancestors

perfected over the years.

Step 1: Keep It Vague; Keep It Simple. To create a cult you must first

attract attention. This you should do not through actions, which are too

clear and readable, but through words, which are hazy and deceptive. Your

initial speeches, conversations, and interviews must include two elements:

on uie one hand the promise of somediing great and transformative, and on

die other a total vagueness. This combination will stimulate all kinds of

hazy dreams in your listeners, who will make dieir own connections and see

what they want to see.

To make your vagueness attractive, use words of great resonance but

cloudy meaning, words full of heat and enthusiasm. Fancy tides for simple

things are helpful, as are the use of numbers and the creation of new words

for vague concepts. All of these create the impression of specialized

knowledge, giving you a veneer of profundity. By the same token, try to

make the subject of your cult new and fresh, so diat few will understand it.

Done right, the combination of vague promises, cloudy but alluring

concepts, and fiery endiusiasm will stir people's souls and a group will form

around you.

Talk too vaguely and you have no credibility. But it is more dangerous

to be specific. If you explain in detail the benefits people will gain by

following your cult, you will be expected to satisfy mem.

As a corollary to its vagueness your appeal should also be simple. Most

people's problems have complex causes: deep-rooted neurosis,

interconnected social factors, roots that go way back in time and are

exceedingly hard to unravel. Few, however, have the patience to deal with

this; most people want to hear that a simple solution will cure their

problems. The ability to offer mis kind of solution will give you great

power and build you a following. Instead of the complicated explanations

of real life, return to die primitive solutions of our ancestors, to good old

country remedies, to mysterious panaceas.

Step 2: Emphasize the Visual and the Sensual over the Intellectual.

Once people have begun to gadier around you, two dangers will present

themselves: boredom and skepticism. Boredom will make people go

elsewhere; skepticism will allow them the distance to think rationally about

whatever it is you are offering, blowing away die mist you have artfully

created and revealing your ideas for what tiiey are. You need to amuse the

bored, then, and ward off die cynics.

encountered science and education at some time, though briefly and

unsuccessfully.... The great mass of mankind has always been predisposed

to marvel at mysteries, and this was especially true at certain historic

periods when the secure foundations of life seemed shaken and old values,

economic or spiritual, long accepted as certainties, could no longer be relied

upon. Then the numbers of the charlatan's dupes multipliedthe “self killers,”

as a seventeenth-century Englishman called them.

the power of the

charlatan,

Grete de Francesco,

THE OWI. WHO WAS GOD

Once upon a starless midnight there was an owl who sat on the branch

of an oak tree. Two ground moles tried to slip quietly by, unnoticed.

“You!”said the owl. “Who” they quavered, in fear and astonishment, for

they could not believe it was possible for anyone to see them in that thick

darkness. “You two!” said the owl. The moles hurried away and told the

other creatures of the field and forest that the owl was the greatest and

wisest of all animals because he could see in the dark

and because he could answer any question. “I'll see about that,” said a

secretary bird, and he called on the owl one night when it was again very

dark. “How many claws am 1 holding up ” said the secretary bird. “Two,”

said the owl, and that was right. “Can you give me another expression for

'that is to say' or 'namely'” asked the secretary bird. “To wit,”said the owl.

“Why does a lover call on his love” asked the secretary bird. “To woo,” said

the owl. The secretary bird hastened back to the other creatures and

reported that the owl was indeed the greatest and wisest animal in the world

because he could see in the dark and because he could answer any question.

“Can he see in the daytime, too” asked a red fox. “ Yes,” echoed a

dormouse and a French poodle. “Can he see in the daytime, too” All the

other creatures laughed loudly at this silly question, and they set upon the

red fox and his friends and drove them out of the region. Then they sent a

messenger to the owl and asked him to be their leader. When the owl

appeared among the animals it was high noon and the sun was shining

brightly. He walked very slowly, which gave him an appearance of great

dignity, and he peered about him with large, staring eyes, which gave him

an air

The best way to do this is through theater, or other devices of its kind.

Surround yourself widi luxury, dazzle your followers with visual splendor,

fill their eyes with spectacle. Not only will this keep them from seeing the

ridiculousness of your ideas, the holes in your belief system, it will also

attract more attention, more followers. Appeal to all the senses: Use incense

for scent, soothing music for hearing, colorful charts and graphs for die eye.

You might even tickle the mind, perhaps by using new technological

gadgets to give your cult a pseudo-scientific veneeras long as you do not

make anyone really think. Use die exoticdistant cultures, strange customsto

create dieatrical effects, and to make the most banal and ordinary affairs

seem signs of somediing extraordinary.

Step 3: Borrow the Forms of Organized Religion to Structure the Group.

Your cultlike following is growing; it is time to organize it. Find a way both

elevating and comforting. Organized religions have long held unquestioned

authority for large numbers of people, and continue to do so in our

supposedly secular age. And even if the religion itself has faded some, its

forms still resonate with power. The lofty and holy associations of

organized religion can be endlessly exploited. Create rituals for your

followers; organize diem into a hierarchy, ranking them in grades of

sanctity, and giving diem names and tides mat resound with religious

overtones; ask diem for sacrifices mat will fill your coffers and increase

your power. To emphasize your gadiering's quasi-religious nature, talk and

act like a prophet. You are not a dictator, after all; you are a priest, a guru, a

sage, a shaman, or any odier word diat hides your real power in the mist of

religion.

Step 4: Disguise Your Source of Income. Your group has grown, and

you have structured it in a churchlike form. Your coffers are beginning to

fill wim your followers' money. Yet you must never be seen as hungry for

money and the power it brings. It is at diis moment that you must disguise

die source of your income.

Your followers want to believe diat if they follow you all sorts of good

things will fall into dieir lap. By surrounding yourself widi luxury you

become living proof of the soundness of your belief system. Never reveal

that your wealth actually comes from your followers' pockets; instead, make

it seem to come from die trum of your mediods. Followers will copy your

each and every move in die belief mat it will bring diem the same results,

and dieir imitative enthusiasm will blind diem to the charlatan nature of

your wealdi.

Step 5: Set Up an Us-Versus-Them Dynamic. The group is now large

and diriving, a magnet attracting more and more particles. If you are not

careful, though, inertia will set in, and time and boredom will demagnetize

die group. To keep your followers united, you must now do what all

religions and belief systems have done: create an us-versus-diem dynamic.

First, make sure your followers believe they are part of an exclusive

club, unified by a bond of common goals. Then, to strengdien this bond,

manufacture the notion of a devious enemy out to ruin you. There is a force

of nonbelievers that will do anything to stop you. Any outsider who tries to

reveal the charlatan nature of your belief system can now be described as a

member of this devious force.

If you have no enemies, invent one. Given a straw man to react against,

your followers will tighten and cohere. They have your cause to believe in

and infidels to destroy.

OBSERVANCES OF THE LAW

Observance I

In the year 1653, a twenty-seven-year-old Milan man named Francesco

Giuseppe Borri claimed to have had a vision. He went around town telling

one and all mat the archangel Michael had appeared to him and announced

that he had been chosen to be the capitano generate of the Army of the New

Pope, an army that would seize and revitalize the world. The archangel had

further revealed that Borri now had the power to see people's souls, and that

he would soon discover the philosopher's stonea long-sought-after

substance that could change base metals into gold. Friends and

acquaintances who heard Borri explain the vision, and who witnessed the

change that had come over him, were impressed, for Borri had previously

devoted himself to a life of wine, women, and gambling. Now he gave all

that up, plunging himself into the study of alchemy and talking only of

mysticism and the occult.

The transformation was so sudden and miraculous, and Borri's words

were so filled with enthusiasm, that he began to create a following.

Unfortunately the Italian Inquisition began to notice him as wellthey

prosecuted anyone who delved into the occultso he left Italy and began to

wander Europe, from Austria to Holland, telling one and all that “to those

who follow me all joy shall be granted.” Wherever Borri stayed he attracted

followers. His method was simple: He spoke of his vision, which had

grown more and more elaborate, and offered to “look into” the soul of

anyone who believed him (and they were many). Seemingly in a trance, he

would stare at this new follower for several minutes, then claim to have

seen the person's soul, degree of enlightenment, and potential for spiritual

greatness. If what he saw showed promise, he would add the person to his

growing order of disciples, an honor indeed.

The cult had six degrees, into which the disciples were assigned

according to what Borri had glimpsed in their souls. With work and total

devotion to the cult they could graduate to a higher degree. Borriwhom they

called “His Excellency,” and “Universal Doctor”demanded from them die

strictest vows of poverty. All the goods and moneys they possessed had to

be turned over to him. But diey did not mind handing over their property,

for Borri had told them, "I shall soon bring my chemical

of tremendous importance. “He's God!” screamed a Plymouth Rock

hen. And the others took up the cry “He's God!”So they followed him

wherever he went and when he began to bump into things they began to

bump into things, too. Finally he came to a concrete highway and he started

up the middle of it and all the other creatures followed him. Presently a

hawk, who was acting as outrider, observed a truck coming toward them at

fifty miles an hour, and he reported to the secretary bird and the secretary

bird reported to the owl. “ There's danger ahead,” said the secretary bird. “

To wit ” said the owl. The secretary bird told him. “A ren 't you afraid ” He

asked. “Who”said the owl calmly, for he could not see the truck. “He's

God!” cried all the creatures again, and they were still crying “He's God!”

when the truck hit them and ran them down. Some of the animals were

merely injured, but most of them, including the owl, were killed. Moral:

You can fool too many of the people too much of the time.

the thurber carnival, James Thurber , 1894-1961

To become the founder of a new religion one must he psychologically

infallible in one's knowledge of a certain average type of souls who have

not yet recognized that they belong together.

Friedrich Nietzsche, 1844-1900

Men are so simple of

mind, and so much

dominated by their

immediate needs, that a

deceitful man will

always find plenty who

are ready to be

deceived.

NicroLO Machiavem.i, 1469-1527

111!'. IKMI'LK OF III, VI II ]

[In the late 1780s] the Scottish quack James Graham .. . was winning a

large following and great riches in London.... [Graham] maintained a show

of great scientific technique. In 1772 ... he had visited Philadelphia, where

he met Benjamin Franklin and became interested in the latter's experiments

with electricity. These appear to have inspired the apparatus in the “Temple

of Health,”

studies to a happy conclusion by the discovery of the philosopher's

stone, and by this means we shall all have as much gold as we desire."

Given his growing wealtii, Borri began to change his style of living.

Renting the most splendid apartment in the city into which he had

temporarily setded, he would furnish it with fabulous furniture and

accessories, which he had begun to collect. He would drive through the city

in a coach studded with jewels, with six magnificent black horses at its

head. He never stayed too long in one place, and when he disappeared,

saying he had more souls to gather into his flock, his reputation only grew

in his absence. He became famous, although in fact he had never done a

single concrete thing.

From all over Europe, the blind, the crippled, and the desperate came to

visit Borri, for word had spread that he had healing powers. He asked no fee

for his services, which only made him seem more marvelous, and indeed

some claimed tfiat in this or mat city he had performed a miracle cure. By

only hinting at his accomplishments, he encouraged people's imaginations

to blow diem up to fantastic proportions. His wealdi, for example, actually

came from the vast sums he was collecting from his increasingly select

group of rich disciples; yet it was presumed that he had in fact perfected the

philosopher's stone. The Church continued to pursue him, denouncing him

for heresy and witchcraft, and Borri's response to these charges was a

dignified silence; this only enhanced his reputation and made his followers

more passionate. Only die great are persecuted, after all; how many

understood Jesus Christ in his own time Borri did not have to say a wordhis

followers now called the Pope the Antichrist.

And so Borri's power grew and grew, until one day he left the city of

Amsterdam (where he had setded for a while), absconding with huge sums

of borrowed money and diamonds that had been entrusted to him. (He

claimed to be able to remove the flaws from diamonds through the power of

his gifted mind.) Now he was on the run. The Inquisition eventually caught

up with him, and for the last twenty years of his life he was imprisoned in

Rome. But so great was the belief in his occult powers that to his dying day

he was visited by wealthy believers, including Queen Christina of Sweden.

Supplying him with money and materials, diese visitors allowed him to

continue his search for die elusive philosopher's stone. Interpretation

Before he formed his cult, Borri seems to have stumbled on a critical

discovery. Tiring of his life of debauchery, he had decided to give it up and

to devote himself to the occult, a genuine interest of his. He must have

noticed, however, mat when he alluded to a mystical experience (rather than

physical exhaustion) as die source of his conversion, people of all classes

wanted to hear more. Realizing the power he could gain by ascribing the

change to sometiiing external and mysterious, he went further widi his

manufactured visions. The grander the vision, and the more sacrifices he

asked for, die more appealing and believable his story seemed to become.

Remember: People are not interested in die trutii about change. They

do not want to hear that it has come from hard work, or from anything

as banal as exhaustion, boredom, or depression; they are dying to believe in

something romantic, otherworldly. They want to hear of angels and out-of-

body experiences. Indulge them. Hint at the mystical source of some

personal change, wrap it in ethereal colors, and a cuklike following will

form around you. Adapt to people's needs: The messiah must mirror the

desires of his followers. And always aim high. The bigger and bolder your

illusion, the better.

Observance II

In the mid-1700s, word spread in Europe's fashionable society of a

Swiss country doctor named Michael Schiippach who practiced a different

kind of medicine: He used the healing powers of nature to perform

miraculous cures. Soon well-to-do people from all over the Continent, their

ailments both serious and mild, were making the trek to the alpine village of

Lang-nau, where Schiippach lived and worked. Trudging tiirough the

mountains, these visitors witnessed the most dramatic natural landscapes

that Europe has to offer. By the time they reached Langnau, they were

already feeling transformed and on their way to health.

Schiippach, who had become known as simply the “Mountain Doctor,”

had a small pharmacy in town. This place became quite a scene: Crowds of

people from many different countries would cram the small room, its walls

lined with colorful bottles filled with herbal cures. Where most doctors of

the time prescribed foul-tasting concoctions that bore incomprehensible

Latin titles (as medicines often do still), Schiippach's cures had names such

as “The Oil of Joy,” “Little Flower's Heart,” or “Against the Monster,” and

they tasted sweet and pleasing.

Visitors to Langnau would have to wait patiently for a visit with the

Mountain Doctor, because every day some eighty messengers would arrive

at the pharmacy bearing flasks of urine from all over Europe. Schiippach

claimed he could diagnose what ailed you simply by looking at a sample of

your urine and reading a written description of your ailment. (Naturally he

read the description very carefully before prescribing a cure.) When he

finally had a spare minute (the urine samples took up much of his time), he

would call the visitor into his office in the pharmacy. He would then

examine this person's urine sample, explaining that its appearance would

tell him everything he needed to know. Country people had a sense for

these things, he would saytheir wisdom came from living a simple, godly

life with none of the complications of urban living. This personal

consultation would also include a discussion as to how one might bring

one's soul more into harmony with nature.

Schiippach had devised many forms of treatment, each profoundly

unlike the usual medical practices of the time. He was a believer, for

instance, in electric shock tiierapy. To those who wondered whether this

was in keeping with his belief in the healing power of nature, he would

explain that electricity is a natural phenomenon; he was merely imitating

the

the fabulous establishment he opened in London for the sale of his

elixirs.... In the chief room, where he received patients, stood “the largest

air pump in the world ” to assist him in his “philosophical investigations”

into disease, and also a “stupendous metallic conductor,” a richly gilded

pedestal surrounded with retorts and vials of “etherial and other essences. ”

.. .According to J. Ennemoser, who published a history of magic in 1844 at

Leipzig, Graham's “house ... united the useful with the pleasurable.

Everywhere the utmost magnificence was displayed. Even in the outer

court, averred an eye-witness, it seemed as though art, invention, and riches

had been exhausted. On the side walls in the chambers an arc-shaped glow

was provided by artificial electric light; star rays darted forth; transparent

glasses of all colors were placed with clever selection and much taste. All

this, the same eyewitness assures us, was ravishing and exalted the

imagination to the highest degree.” Visitors were given a printed sheet of

rules for healthy living. In the Great Apollo Apartment they might join in

mysterious rituals, accompanied by chants: “Hail, Vital Air, aethereal!

Magnetic Magic, hail!”And while they hailed the

magic of magnetism, the windows were darkened, revealing a ceiling

studded with electric stars and a young and lovely “Rosy Goddess of Health

” in a niche.... Every evening this Temple of Health was crowded with

guests; it had become the fashion to visit it and try the great twelve-foot bed

of state, the “Grand Celestial Bed, ” said to cure any disease. . . . This bed,

according to Ennemoser, “stood in a splendid room, into which a cylinder

led from an adjoining chamber to conduct the healing currents ... at the

same time all sorts of pleasing scents of strengthening herbs and Oriental

incense were also brought in through glass tubes. The heavenly bed itself

rested upon six solid transparent pillars; the bedclothes were of purple and

sky-blue Atlas silk, spread over a mattress saturated with Arabian perfumed

waters to suit the tastes of the Persian court. The chamber in which it was

placed he called the Sanctum Sanctorum. ... To add to all this, there were

the melodious notes of the harmonica, soft flutes, agreeable voices, and a

great organ.”

the power of the

charlatan,

Crete de Francesco,

power of lightning. One of his patients claimed to be inhabited by seven

devils. The doctor cured him with electrical shocks, and as he administered

these he exclaimed that he could see the devils flying out of the man's body,

one by one. Another man claimed to have swallowed a hay wagon and its

driver, which were causing him massive pains in the chest. The Mountain

Doctor listened patientiy, claimed to be able to hear the crack of a whip in

the man's belly, promised to cure him, and gave him a sedative and a

purgative. The man fell asleep on a chair outside the pharmacy. As soon as

he awoke he vomited, and as he vomited a hay wagon sped past him (the

Mountain Doctor had hired it for die occasion), the crack of its whip

making him feel that somehow he had indeed expelled it under die doctor's

care.

Over die years, the Mountain Doctor's fame grew. He was consulted by

the powerfuleven the writer Goethe made die trek to his villageand he

became the center of a cult of nature in which everything natural was

considered worthy of worship. Schiippach was careful to create effects mat

would entertain and inspire his patients. A professor who visited him once

wrote, “One stands or sits in company, one plays cards, sometimes with a

young woman; now a concert is given, now a lunch or supper, and now a

litde ballet is presented. Widi a very happy effect, die freedom of nature is

everywhere united widi die pleasures of die beau monde, and if the doctor

is not able to heal any diseases, he can at least cure hypochondria and die

vapors.” Interpretation

Schiippach had begun his career as an ordinary village doctor. He would

sometimes use in his practice some of the village remedies he had grown up

with, and apparendy he noticed some results, for soon diese herbal tinctures

and natural forms of healing became his specialty. And in fact his natural

form of healing did have profound psychological effects on his patients.

Where die normal drugs of the time created fear and pain, Schiip-pach's

treatments were comfortable and soothing. The resulting improvement in

die patient's mood was a critical element in the cures he brought about. His

patients believed so deeply in his skills that they willed diem-selves into

health. Instead of scoffing at their irrational explanations for their ailments,

Schiippach used their hypochondria to make it seem that he had effected a

great cure.

The case of die Mountain Doctor teaches us valuable lessons in die

creation of a cultiike following. First, you must find a way to engage

people's will, to make dieir belief in your powers strong enough that they

imagine all sorts of benefits. Their belief will have a self-fulfilling quality,

but you must make sure that it is you, rather than dieir own will, who is

seen as the agent of transformation. Find die belief, cause, or fantasy that

will make diem believe widi a passion and tiiey will imagine die rest,

worshipping you as healer, prophet, genius, whatever you like.

Second, Schiippach teaches us the everlasting power of belief in nature,

and in simplicity. Nature, in reality, is full of much tiiat is terrifying

poisonous plants, fierce animals, sudden disasters, plagues. Belief in die

healing, comforting quality of nature is really a constructed myth, a

romanticism. But the appeal to nature can bring you great power, especially

in complicated and stressful times.

This appeal, however, must be handled right. Devise a kind of theater of

nature in which you, as the director, pick and choose the qualities that fit the

romanticism of the times. The Mountain Doctor played the part to

perfection, playing up his homespun wisdom and wit, and staging his cures

as dramatic pieces. He did not make himself one with nature; instead he

molded nature into a cult, an artificial construction. To create a “natural”

effect you actually have to work hard, making nature theatrical and

delightfully pagan. Otherwise no one will notice. Nature too must follow

trends and be progressive.

Observance III

In 1788, at the age of fifty-five, the doctor and scientist Franz Mesmer

was at a crossroads. He was a pioneer in the study of animal magnetismthe

belief that animals contain magnetic matter, and that a doctor or specialist

can effect miraculous cures by working on this charged substancebut in

Vienna, where he lived, his theories had met with scorn and ridicule from

the medical establishment. In treating women for convulsions, Mesmer

claimed to have worked a number of cures, his proudest achievement being

the restoration of sight to a blind girl. But another doctor who examined the

young girl said she was as blind as ever, an assessment with which she

herself agreed. Mesmer countered that his enemies were out to slander him

by winning her over to their side. This claim only elicited more ridicule.

Clearly the sober-minded Viennese were the wrong audience for his

theories, and so he decided to move to Paris and start again.

Renting a splendid apartment in his new city, Mesmer decorated it

appropriately. Stained glass in most of the windows created a religious

feeling, and mirrors on all the walls produced an hypnotic effect. The doctor

advertised that in his apartment he would give demonstrations of the powers

of animal magnetism, inviting the diseased and melancholic to feel its

powers. Soon Parisians of all classes (but mostiy women, who seemed more

attracted to the idea than men did) were paying for entry to witness the

miracles that Mesmer promised.

Inside the apartment, the scents of orange blossom and exotic incense

wafted through special vents. As the initiates filtered into the salon where

the demonstrations took place, they heard harp music and the lulling sounds

of a female vocalist coming from another room. In the center of the salon

was a long oval container filled with water that Mesmer claimed had been

magnetized. From holes in the container's metal lid protruded long movable

iron rods. The visitors were instructed to sit around the container, place

these magnetized rods on the body part that gave them pains or problems,

and then hold hands with their neighbors, sitting as close as possible to one

another to help the magnetic force pass between their bodies. Sometimes,

too, they were attached to each other by cords.

Mesmer would leave the room, and “assistant magnetizers”all hand-

In the town of Tarnopol lived a man by the name of Reb Feivel. One

day, as he sat in his house deeply absorbed in his Talmud, he heard a loud

noise outside. When he went to the window he saw a lot of little pranksters.

“Up to some new piece of mischief, no doubt,” he thought.

“Children, run quickly to the synagogue,” he cried, leaning out and

improvising the first story that occurred to him. “ You 'II see there a sea

monster, and what a monster! It's a creature with five feet, three eyes, and a

beard like that of a goat, only it's green!”

And sure enough the children scampered off and Reb Feivel returned to

his studies. He smiled into his beard as he thought of the trick he had played

on those little rascals. It wasn 't long before his studies were interrupted

again, this time by running footsteps. When he went to the window he saw

several Jews running. “Where are you running” he called out.

“To the synagogue!” answered the Jews. “Haven'tyou heard There's a

sea monster, there's a creature with five legs, three eyes, and a beard like

that of a goat, only it's green!” Reb Feivel laughed with glee, thinking of the

trick he had played,

and sat down again to his Talmud. But no sooner had he begun to

concentrate when suddenly he heard a dinning tumult outside. And what did

he see A great crowd of men, women and children, all running toward the

synagogue. “What's up” he cried, sticking his head out of the window. “

What a question! Why, don't you know” they answered. “Right in front of

the synagogue there 's a sea monster. It's a creature with five legs, three

eyes, and a beard like that of a goat, only it's green!” And as the crowd

hurried by, Reb Feivel suddenly noticed that the rabbi himself was among

them. “Lord of the world!” he exclaimed. “If the rabbi himself is running

with them surely there must be something happening. Where there's smoke

there's fire!” Without further thought Reb Feivel grabbed his hat, left his

house, and also began running. “Who can tell” he muttered to himself as he

ran, all out of breath, toward the synagogue.

a treasury of

jewish folklore,

some and strapping young menwould enter with jars of magnetized

water that they would sprinkle on the patients, rubbing the healing fluid on

their bodies, massaging it into their skin, moving them toward a trancelike

state. And after a few minutes a kind of delirium would overcome the

women. Some would sob, some would shriek and tear their hair, others

would laugh hysterically. At the height of the delirium Mesmer would

reenter the salon, dressed in a flowing silk robe embroidered with golden

flowers and carrying a white magnetic rod. Moving around the container, he

would stroke and soothe the patients until calm was restored. Many women

would later attribute the strange power he had on them to his piercing look,

which, they thought, was exciting or quieting the magnetic fluids in their

bodies.

Within months of his arrival in Paris, Mesmer became the rage. His

supporters included Marie-Antoinette herself, the queen of France, wife of

Louis XVI. As in Vienna, he was condemned by the official faculty of

medicine, but it did not matter. His growing following of pupils and patients

paid him handsomely.

Mesmer expanded his theories to proclaim that all humanity could be

brought into harmony through the power of magnetism, a concept with

much appeal during the French Revolution. A cult of Mesmerism spread

across the country; in many towns, “Societies of Harmony” sprang up to

experiment with magnetism. These societies eventually became notorious:

They tended to be led by libertines who would turn their sessions into a

kind of group orgy.

At the height of Mesmer's popularity, a French commission published a

report based on years of testing the theory of animal magnetism. The

conclusion: Magnetism's effects on the body actually came from a kind of

group hysteria and autosuggestion. The report was well documented, and

ruined Mesmer's reputation in France. He left the country and went into

retirement. Only a few years later, however, imitators sprang up all over

Europe and the cult of Mesmerism spread once again, its believers more

numerous than ever. Interpretation

Mesmer's career can be broken into two parts. When still in Vienna, he

clearly believed in the validity of his theory, and did all he could to prove it.

But his growing frustration and the disapproval of his colleagues made him

adopt another strategy. First he moved to Paris, where no one knew him,

and where his extravagant theories found a more fruitful soil. Then he

appealed to the French love of theater and spectacle, making his apartment

into a kind of magical world in which a sensory overload of smells, sights,

and sounds entranced his customers. Most important, from now on he

practiced his magnetism only on a group. The group provided the setting in

which the magnetism would have its proper effect, one believer infecting

the other, overwhelming any individual doubter.

Mesmer thus passed from being a confirmed advocate of magnetism to

the role of a charlatan using every trick in the book to captivate the pub-

lie. The biggest trick of all was to play on the repressed sexuality that

bubbles under the surface of any group setting. In a group, a longing for

social unity, a longing older than civilization, cries out to be awakened. This

desire may be subsumed under a unifying cause, but beneath it is a

repressed sexuality that the charlatan knows how to exploit and manipulate

for his own purposes.

This is the lesson that Mesmer teaches us: Our tendency to doubt, the

distance that allows us to reason, is broken down when we join a group.

The warmth and infectiousness of the group overwhelm the skeptical

individual. This is the power you gain by creating a cult. Also, by playing

on people's repressed sexuality, you lead them into mistaking their excited

feelings for signs of your mystical strength. You gain untold power by

working on people's unrealized desire for a kind of promiscuous and pagan

unity.

Remember too that the most effective cults mix religion with science.

Take the latest technological trend or fad and blend it with a noble cause, a

mystical faith, a new form of healing. People's interpretations of your

hybrid cult will run rampant, and they will attribute powers to you that you

had never even thought to claim.

Image: The Magnet. An unseen force draws objects to it, which in turn

become magnetized themselves, drawing other pieces to them, the magnetic

power of toe whole constantly increasing. But take away the original

magnet and it all falls apart. Become the magnet, the invisible force that

attracts people's imaginations and holds them together. Once they have

clustered around you, no power can wrest them away.

Authority: The charlatan achieves his great power by simply opening a

possibility for men to believe what they already want to believe. . . . The

credulous cannot keep at a distance; they crowd around the wonder worker,

entering his personal aura, surrendering themselves to illusion with a heavy

solemnity, like cattle. (Grete de Francesco)

REVERSAL

One reason to create a following is that a group is often easier to

deceive than an individual, and turns over to you that much more power.

This comes, however, with a danger: If at any moment the group sees

through you, you will find yourself facing not one deceived soul but an

angry crowd that will tear you to pieces as avidly as it once followed you.

The charlatans constantly faced this danger, and were always ready to move

out of town as it inevitably became clear that their elixirs did not work and

their ideas were sham. Too slow and they paid with their lives. In playing

with the crowd, you are playing with fire, and must constantly keep an eye

out for any sparks of doubt, any enemies who will turn the crowd against

you. When you play with the emotions of a crowd, you have to know how

to adapt, attuning yourself instantaneously to all of the moods and desires

that a group will produce. Use spies, be on top of everything, and keep your

bags packed.

For this reason you may often prefer to deal with people one by one.

Isolating them from their normal milieu can have the same effect as putting

them in a groupit makes them more prone to suggestion and intimidation.

Choose the right sucker and if he eventually sees through you he may prove

easier to escape than a crowd.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 28

ENTER ACTION WITH BOLDNESS

JUDGMENT

If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts

and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to

enter with boldness. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily

corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors

the timid.

The path of pleasure never leads to glory! The prodigious achievements

of Hercules were the result of high adventure, and though there is little,

either in fable or history, to show that he had any rivals, still it is recorded

that a knight errant, in company with a fellow adventurer, sought his fortune

in a romantic country. He had not traveled far when his companion

observed a post, on which was written the following inscription: “Brave

adventurer, if you have a desire to discover that which has never been seen

by any knight errant, you have only to pass this torrent, and then take in

your arms an elephant of stone and carry it in one breath to the summit of

this mountain, whose noble head seems blended with the sky.” “But,”said

the knight's companion, “the water may be deep as well as rapid, and

though, notwithstanding, we should pass it, why should we be encumbered

with the elephant What a ridiculous undertaking!” And philosophically and

with nice calculation, he observed that the elephant might be carried four

steps; but for conveying it to the top of the mountain in one breath, that was

not in the power of a mortal, unless it should

BOLDNESS AND HESITATION: A Brief Psychological Comparison

Boldness and hesitation elicit very different psychological responses in their

targets: Hesitation puts obstacles in your path, boldness eliminates them.

Once you understand this, you will find it essential to overcome your

natural timidity and practice the art of audacity. The following are among

the most pronounced psychological effects of boldness and timidity.

The Bolder the Lie the Better. We all have weaknesses, and our efforts

are never perfect. But entering action with boldness has the magical effect

of hiding our deficiencies. Con artists know that the bolder the lie, the more

convincing it becomes. The sheer audacity of the story makes it more

credible, distracting attention from its inconsistencies. When putting

together a con or entering any kind of negotiation, go further than you

planned. Ask for the moon and you will be surprised how often you get it.

Lions Circle the Hesitant Prey. People have a sixth sense for the

weaknesses of others. If, in a first encounter, you demonstrate your

willingness to compromise, back down, and retreat, you bring out the lion

even in people who are not necessarily bloodthirsty. Everything depends on

perception, and once you are seen as the kind of person who quickly goes

on die defensive, who is willing to negotiate and be amenable, you will be

pushed around without mercy.

Boldness Strikes Fear; Fear Creates Authority. The bold move makes

you seem larger and more powerful than you are. If it comes suddenly, with

die stealth and swiftness of a snake, it inspires diat much more fear. By

intimidating with a bold move, you establish a precedent: in every

subsequent encounter, people will be on the defensive, in terror of your next

strike.

Going Halfway with Half a Heart Digs the Deeper Grave. If you

enter an action with less than total confidence, you set up obstacles in

your own path. When a problem arises you will grow confused, seeing

options where there are none and inadvertendy creating more problems still.

Retreating from the hunter, the timid hare scurries more easily into his

snares.

Hesitation Creates Gaps, Boldness Obliterates Them. When you take

time to diink, to hem and haw, you create a gap that allows others time to

think as well. Your timidity infects people with awkward energy, elicits

embarrassment. Doubt springs up on all sides.

Boldness destroys such gaps. The swiftness of die move and die energy

of the action leave others no space to doubt and worry. In seduction,

hesitation is fatalit makes your victim conscious of your intentions. The

bold move crowns seduction with triumph: It leaves no time for reflection.

Audacity Separates You from the Herd. Boldness gives you presence

and makes you seem larger than life. The timid fade into the wallpaper, the

bold draw attention, and what draws attention draws power. We cannot

keep our eyes off the audaciouswe cannot wait to see their next bold move.

OBSERVANCES OF THE LAW

Observance I

In May of 1925, five of the most successful dealers in the French scrap-

metal business found themselves invited to an “official” but “highly

confidential” meeting with the deputy director general of the Ministry of

Post and Telegraphs at the Hotel Crillon, then the most luxurious hotel in

Paris. When the businessmen arrived, it was the director general himself, a

Monsieur Lustig, who met diem in a swank suite on the top floor.

The businessmen had no idea why they had been summoned to this

meeting, and they were bursting with curiosity. After drinks, the director

explained. “Gendemen,” he said, “fhis is an urgent matter that requires

complete secrecy. The government is going to have to tear down the Eiffel

Tower.” The dealers listened in stunned silence as the director explained

that the tower, as recendy reported in the news, desperately needed repairs.

It had originally been meant as a temporary structure (for the Exposition of

1889), its maintenance costs had soared over the years, and now, in a time

of a fiscal crisis, the government would have to spend millions to fix it.

Many Parisians considered the Eiffel Tower an eyesore and would be

delighted to see it go. Over time, even the tourists would forget about itit

would live on in photographs and postcards. “Gendemen,” Lustig said, “you

are all invited to make the government an offer for the Eiffel Tower.”

He gave the businessmen sheets of government stationery filled with

figures, such as the tonnage of the tower's metal. Their eyes popped as they

calculated how much tiiey could make from the scrap. Then Lustig led them

to a waiting limo, which brought them to the Eiffel Tower. Flashing an

official badge, he guided mem through the area, spicing his tour witii

amusing anecdotes. At the end of the visit he thanked them and asked them

to have fheir offers delivered to his suite within four days.

Several days after the offers were submitted, one of the five, a Monsieur

P., received notice that his bid was the winner, and diat to secure fhe sale he

should come to the suite at the hotel within two days, bearing a certified

check for more than 250,000 francs (the equivalent today of about

$1,000,000)a quarter of the toted price. On delivery of the check, he would

receive the documents confirming his ownership of the Eiffel Tower.

Monsieur P. was excitedhe would go down in history as the man who had

bought and torn down the infamous landmark. But by the time he arrived at

the suite, check in hand, he was beginning to have doubts about the whole

affair. Why meet in a hotel instead of a government building Why hadn't he

heard from other officials Was diis a hoax, a scam As he listened to Lustig

discuss die arrangements for the scrapping of the tower, he hesitated, and

contemplated backing out.

be the dwarf figure of an elephant, fit only to be placed on the top of a

stick; and then what honor would there be in such an adventure “There

is,”said he, “some deception in this writing. It is an enigma only fit to

amuse a child. I shall therefore leave you and your elephant.” The reasoner

then departed; but the adventurous man rushed with his eyes closed across

the water; neither depth nor violence prevented him, and according to the

inscription he saw the elephant lying on the opposite bank. He took it and

carried it to the top of the hill, where he saw a town. A shriek from the

elephant alarmed the people of the city, who rose in arms; but the

adventurer, nothing daunted, was determined to die a hero. The people,

however, were awed by his presence, and he was astonished to hear them

proclaim him successor to their king, who had recently died. Great

enterprises are only achieved by adventurous spirits. They who calculate

with too great nicety every difficulty and obstacle which is likely to lie in

their way, lose that time in hesitation, which the more daring seize and

render available to the loftiest purposes.

FABLES,

Jean de La Fontaine, 1621-1695

Always set to work without misgivings on the score of imprudence.

Fear of failure in the mind of a performer is, for an onlooker, already

evidence of failure.... Actions are dangerous when there is doubt as to their

wisdom; it would be safer to do nothing.

Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658

In a lowly thatched cottage in the Namsan Valley there lived a poor

couple, Mr. and Mrs. Huh Saeng. The husband confined himself for seven

years and only read books in his cold room.... One day his wife, all in tears,

said to him: “Look here, my good man! What is the use of all your book

reading I have spent my youth in washing and sewing for other people and

yet I have no spare jacket or skirt to wear and I have had no food to eat

during the past three days. I am hungry and cold. I can stand it no more!” ...

Hearing these words, the middle-aged scholar closed his book ... rose to his

feet and ... without saying another word, he went out of doors. . . .Arriving

in the heart of the

Suddenly, however, he realized that the director had changed his tone.

Instead of talking about the tower, he was complaining about his low salary,

about his wife's desire for a fur coat, about how galling it was to work hard

and be unappreciated. It dawned on Monsieur P. that this high government

official was asking for a bribe. The effect on him, though, was not outrage

but relief. Now he was sure that Lustig was for real, since in all of his

previous encounters with French bureaucrats, they had inevitably asked for

a little greasing of the palm. His confidence restored, Monsieur P. slipped

the director several thousand francs in bills, then handed him the certified

check. In return he received the documentation, including an impressive-

looking bill of sale. He left the hotel, dreaming of the profits and fame to

come.

Over the next few days, however, as Monsieur P. waited for

correspondence from the government, he began to realize that something

was amiss. A few telephone calls made it clear that there was no deputy

director general Lustig, and there were no plans to destroy the Eiffel Tower:

He had been bilked of over 250,000 francs!

Monsieur P. never went to the police. He knew what kind of reputation

he would get if word got out that he had fallen for one of the most absurdly

audacious cons in history. Besides the public humiliation, it would have

been business suicide. Interpretation

Had Count Victor Lustig, con artist extraordinaire, tried to sell the Arc

de Triomphe, a bridge over the Seine, a statue of Balzac, no one would have

believed him. But the Eiffel Tower was just too large, too improbable to be

part of a con job. In fact it was so improbable that Lustig was able to return

to Paris six months later and “resell” the Eiffel Tower to a different scrap-

iron dealer, and for a higher pricea sum in francs equivalent today to over

$1,500,000!

Largeness of scale deceives the human eye. It distracts and awes us, and

is so self-evident that we cannot imagine there is any illusion or deception

afoot. Arm yourself with bigness and boldnessstretch your deceptions as far

as they will go and then go further. If you sense that the sucker has

suspicions, do as the intrepid Lustig did: Instead of backing down, or

lowering his price, he simply raised his price higher, by asking for and

getting a bribe. Asking for more puts the other person on the defensive, cuts

out the nibbling effect of compromise and doubt, and overwhelms with its

boldness.

Observance II

On his deathbed in 1533, Vasily III, the Grand Duke of Moscow and

ruler of a semi-united Russia, proclaimed his three-year-old son, Ivan IV, as

his successor. He appointed his young wife, Helena, as regent until Ivan

reached his majority and could rule on his own. The aristocracythe bo-

yarssecretly rejoiced: For years the dukes of Moscow had been trying to

extend their authority over the boyars' turf. With Vasily dead, his heir a

mere three years old, and a young woman in charge of the dukedom, die

boyars would be able to roll back the dukes' gains, wrest control of the

state, and humiliate the royal family.

Aware of these dangers, young Helena turned to her trusted friend

Prince Ivan Obolensky to help her rule. But after five years as regent she

suddenly diedpoisoned by a member of the Shuisky family, the most

fearsome boyar clan. The Shuisky princes seized control of the government

and threw Obolensky in prison, where he starved to death. At the age of

eight, Ivan was now a despised orphan, and any boyar or family member

who took an interest in him was immediately banished or killed.

And so Ivan roamed the palace, hungry, ill clothed, and often in hiding

from the Shuiskys, who treated him roughly when they saw him. On some

days they would search him out, clothe him in royal robes, hand him a

scepter, and set him on the thronea kind of mock ritual in which they

lampooned his royal pretensions. Then they would shoo him away. One

evening several of them chased the Metropolitanthe head of the Russian

churchthrough the palace, and he sought refuge in Ivan's room; the boy

watched in horror as the Shuiskys entered, hurled insults, and beat the

Metropolitan mercilessly.

Ivan had one friend in the palace, a boyar named Vorontsov who

consoled and advised him. One day, however, as he, Vorontsov, and the

newest Metropolitan conferred in the palace refectory, several Shuiskys

burst in, beat up Vorontsov, and insulted the Metropolitan by tearing and

treading on his robes. Then they banished Vorontsov from Moscow.

Throughout all this Ivan maintained a strict silence. To the boyars it

seemed that their plan had worked: The young man had turned into a

terrified and obedient idiot. They could ignore him now, even leave him

alone. But on the evening of December 29, 1543, Ivan, now thirteen, asked

Prince Andrei Shuisky to come to his room. When the prince arrived, the

room was filled with palace guards. Young Ivan then pointed his finger at

Andrei and ordered the guards to arrest him, have him killed, and throw his

body to the bloodhounds in the royal kennel. Over the next few days Ivan

had all of Andrei's close associates arrested and banished. Caught off-guard

by his sudden boldness, the boyars now stood in mortal terror of this youth,

the future Ivan the Terrible, who had planned and waited for five years to

execute this one swift and bold act that would secure his power for decades

to come. Interpretation

The world is full of boyarsmen who despise you, fear your ambition,

and jealously guard their shrinking realms of power. You need to establish

your authority and gain respect, but the moment the boyars sense your

growing boldness, they will act to thwart you. This is how Ivan met such a

situation: He lay low, showing neither ambition nor discontent. He waited,

and when the time came he brought the palace guards over to his side. The

guards had come to hate the cruel Shuiskys. Once they agreed to Ivan's

plan, he struck with the swiftness of a snake, pointing his finger at Shuisky

and giving him no time to react.

Negotiate with a boyar and you create opportunities for him. A small

city, he stopped a passing gentleman. “Hello, my friend! Who is the

richest man in town” “Poor countryman! Don't you know Bydn-ssi, the

millionaire His glittering tile-roofed house pierced by twelve gates is just

over there.” Huh Saeng bent his steps to the rich man's house. Having

entered the big gate, he flung the guest-room door open and addressed the

host: “I need 10,000 yang for capital for my commercial business and I

want you to lend me the money.” “Alright, sir. Where shall I send the

money”

“To the Ansdng Market in care of a commission merchant.” “ Very well,

sir. I will draw on Kim, who does the biggest commission business in the

Ansdng Market. You 'II get the money there.”

“Good-bye, sir.” When Huh Saeng was gone, all the other guests in the

room asked Bydn-ssi why he gave so much money to a beggarlike stranger

whose family name was unknown to him. But the rich man replied with a

triumphant face: "Even though he was in ragged clothes, he spoke clearly to

the point without betraying shame or inferiority, unlike common people

who want to borrow money for a bad debt. Such a man as he is either mad

or self-confident in doing business. But judging from his dauntless eyes and

booming voice he

is an uncommon man

with a superhuman

brain, worthy of my

trust, I know money

and I know men.

Money often makes a

man small, but a man

like him makes big

money. I am only glad

to have helped a big

man do big business."

BEHIND THE SCENES

OF ROYAl. PALACES

IN KOREA,

Ha Tae-hung, 1983

Fear, which always magnifies objects, gives a body to all their fancies,

which takes for its form whatever they conceive to exist in their enemies'

thoughts; so that fearful persons seldom fail to fall into real inconveniences,

occasioned by imaginary dangers.... And the duke, whose predominant

character was to be always full of fear and of distrust, was, of all men I

have ever seen, the most capable of falling into false steps, by the dread he

had of falling into them; being in that like unto hares.

Cardinal de Retz, 1613-1679

compromise becomes the toehold he needs to tear you apart. The

sudden bold move, without discussion or warning, obliterates these

toeholds, and builds your authority. You terrify doubters and despisers and

gain the confidence of the many who admire and glorify those who act

boldly.

Observance III

In 1514 the twenty-two-year-old Pietro Aretino was working as a lowly

assistant scullion to a wealthy Roman family. He had ambitions of greatness

as a writer, to enflame the world with his name, but how could a mere

lackey hope to realize such dreams

That year Pope Leo X received from the king of Portugal an embassy

that included many gifts, most prominent among them a great elephant, the

first in Rome since imperial times. The pontiff adored this elephant and

showered it with attention and gifts. But despite his love and care, the

elephant, which was called Hanno, became deathly ill. The pope summoned

doctors, who administered a five-hundred-pound purgative to the elephant,

but all to no avail. The animal died and the pope went into mourning. To

console himself he summoned the great painter Raphael and ordered him to

create a life-sized painting of Hanno above the animal's tomb, bearing the

inscription, “What nature took away, Raphael has with his art restored.”

Over the next few days, a pamphlet circulated throughout Rome that

caused great merriment and laughter. Entitled “The Last Will and Testament

of the Elephant Hanno,” it read, in part, “To my heir the Cardinal Santa

Croce, I give my knees, so that he can imitate my genuflections. ... To my

heir Cardinal Sand Quattro, I give my jaws, so that he can more readily

devour all of Christ's revenues. ... To my heir Cardinal Medici, I give my

ears, so that he can hear everyone's doings. . . .” To Cardinal Grassi, who

had a reputation for lechery, the elephant bequeathed the appropriate,

oversized part of his own anatomy.

On and on the anonymous pamphlet went, sparing none of the great in

Rome, not even the pope. With each one it took aim at their best-known

weakness. The pamphlet ended with verse, “See to it that Aretino is your

friend / For he is a bad enemy to have. / His words alone could ruin the high

pope / So God guard everyone from his tongue.” Interpretation

With one short pamphlet, Aretino, son of a poor shoemaker and a

servant himself, hurled himself to fame. Everyone in Rome rushed to find

out who this daring young man was. Even the pope, amused by his

audacity, sought him out and ended up giving him a job in the papal service.

Over the years he came to be known as the “Scourge of Princes,” and his

biting tongue earned him the respect and fear of the great, from the king of

France to the Hapsburg emperor.

The Aretino strategy is simple: When you are as small and obscure as

David was, you must find a Goliath to attack. The larger the target, the

more attention you gain. The bolder the attack, the more you stand out

from the crowd, and the more admiration you earn. Society is full of

those who think daring thoughts but lack the guts to print and publicize

them. Voice what the public feelsthe expression of shared feelings is always

powerful. Search out the most prominent target possible and sling your

boldest shot. The world will enjoy the spectacle, and will honor the

underdogyou, that iswith glory and power.

KEYS TO POWER

Most of us are timid. We want to avoid tension and conflict and we

want to be liked by all. We may contemplate a bold action but we rarely

bring it to life. We are terrified of the consequences, of what others might

think of us, of the hostility we will stir up if we dare go beyond our usual

place.

Although we may disguise our timidity as a concern for others, a desire

not to hurt or offend them, in fact it is the oppositewe are really self-

absorbed, worried about ourselves and how others perceive us. Boldness, on

the other hand, is outer-directed, and often makes people feel more at ease,

since it is less self-conscious and less repressed.

This can be seen most clearly in seduction. All great seducers succeed

through effrontery. Casanova's boldness was not revealed in a daring

approach to the woman he desired, or in intrepid words to flatter her; it

consisted in his ability to surrender himself to her completely and to make

her believe he would do anything for her, even risk his life, which in fact he

sometimes did. The woman on whom he lavished this attention understood

that he held nothing back from her. This was infinitely more flattering than

compliments. At no point during the seduction would he show hesitation or

doubt, simply because he never felt it.

Part of the charm of being seduced is that it makes us feel engulfed,

temporarily outside of ourselves and the usual doubts that permeate our

lives. The moment the seducer hesitates, the charm is broken, because we

become aware of the process, of their deliberate effort to seduce us, of their

self-consciousness. Boldness directs attention outward and keeps the

illusion alive. It never induces awkwardness or embarrassment. And so we

admire the bold, and prefer to be around them, because their self-confidence

infects us and draws us outside our own realm of inwardness and reflection.

Few are born bold. Even Napoleon had to cultivate the habit on the

battlefield, where he knew it was a matter of life and death. In social

settings he was awkward and timid, but he overcame this and practiced

boldness in every part of his life because he saw its tremendous power, how

it could literally enlarge a man (even one who, like Napoleon, was in fact

conspicuously small). We also see this change in Ivan the Terrible: A

harmless boy suddenly transforms himself into a powerful young man who

commands authority, simply by pointing a finger and taking bold action.

You must practice and develop your boldness. You will often find uses

for it. The best place to begin is often the delicate world of negotiation, par-

THE BOY AND THE NETTLE

A boy playing in the fields got stung by a nettle. He ran home to his

mother, telling her that he had but touched that nasty weed, and it had stung

him. “It was just your touching it, my boy,” said the mother, “that caused it

to sting you; the next time you meddle with a nettle, grasp it tightly, and it

will do you no hurt.”

Do boldly what you do at all.

FABLES,

Aesop,

sixth century b.c.

HOW TO BE VICTORIOUS IN LOVE

But with those who have made an impression upon your heart, I have

noticed that you are timid. This quality might affect a bour-geoise, but you

must attack the heart of a woman of the world with other weapons.... I tell

you on behalf of women: there is not one of us who does not prefer a little

rough handling to too much consideration. Men lose through blundering

more hearts than virtue saves. The more timidity a lover shows with us the

more it concerns our pride to goad him on; the more respect he has for our

resistance, the more respect we demand of him. We would willingly say

to you men: “Ah, in pity's name do not suppose us to be so very virtuous;

you are forcing us to have too much of it. ...” We are continually struggling

to hide the fact that we have permitted ourselves to be loved. Put a woman

in a position to say that she has yielded only to a species of violence, or to

surprise: persuade her that you do not undervalue her, and I will answer for

her heart. ...A little more boldness on your part would put you both at your

ease. Do you remember what M. de la Rochefoucauld told you lately: “A

reasonable man in love may act like a madman, but he should not and

cannot act like an idiot. ”

life, letters, and

epicurean philosophy

ok ninon de i.enclos,

Ninon de Lenclos,

1620-1705

ticularly those discussions in which you are asked to set your own price.

How often we put ourselves down by asking for too litde. When

Christopher Columbus proposed that the Spanish court finance his voyage

to the Americas, he also made the insanely bold demand that he be called

“Grand Admiral of the Ocean.” The court agreed. The price he set was the

price he receivedhe demanded to be treated with respect, and so he was.

Henry Kissinger too knew that in negotiation, bold demands work better

than starting off with piecemeal concessions and trying to meet the other

person halfway. Set your value high, and then, as Count Lustig did, set it

higher.

Understand: If boldness is not natural, neither is timidity. It is an

acquired habit, picked up out of a desire to avoid conflict. If timidity has

taken hold of you, then, root it out. Your fears of the consequences of a bold

action are way out of proportion to reality, and in fact the consequences of

timidity are worse. Your value is lowered and you create a self-fulfilling

cycle of doubt and disaster. Remember: The problems created by an

audacious move can be disguised, even remedied, by more and greater

audacity.

Image: The Lion and the Hare. The lion creates no gaps in his wayhis

movements are too swift, his jaws too quick and powerful. The timid hare

will do anything to escape danger, but in its haste to retreat and flee, it

backs into traps, hops smack into its enemies' jaws.

Authority: I certainly think that it is better to be impetuous than

cautious, for fortune is a woman, and it is necessary, if you wish to master

her, to conquer her by force; and it can be seen that she lets herself be

overcome by the bold rather than by those who proceed coldly. And

therefore, like a woman, she is always a friend to the young, because they

are less cautious, fiercer, and master her with greater audacity. (Niccolo

Machiavelli, 1469-1527)

REVERSAL

Boldness should never be the strategy behind all of your actions. It is a

tactical instrument, to be used at the right moment. Plan and think ahead,

and make the final element the bold move that will bring you success. In

other words, since boldness is a learned response, it is also one that you

learn to control and utilize at will. To go through life armed only with

audacity would be tiring and also fatal. You would offend too many people,

as is proven by those who cannot control their boldness. One such person

was Lola Montez; her audacity brought her triumphs and led to her

seduction of die king of Bavaria. But since she could never rein in her

boldness, it also led to her downfallin Bavaria, in England, wherever she

turned. It crossed die border between boldness and the appearance of

cruelty, even insanity. Ivan the Terrible suffered the same fate: When the

power of boldness brought him success, he stuck to it, to the point where it

became a lifelong pattern of violence and sadism. He lost the ability to tell

when boldness was appropriate and when it was not.

Timidity has no place in the realm of power; you will often benefit,

however, by being able to feign it. At that point, of course, it is no longer

timidity but an offensive weapon: You are luring people in with your show

of shyness, all the better to pounce on mem boldly later.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 29

PLAN ALL THE WAY TO THE END

JUDGMENT

The ending is everything. Plan all the way to it, taking into account all

the possible consequences, obstacles, and twists of fortune that might

reverse your hard work and give the glory to others. By planning to the end

you will not be overwhelmed by circumstances and you will know when to

stop. Gently guide fortune and help determine the future by thinking far

ahead.

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

In 1510 a ship set out from the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and the

Dominican Republic) for Venezuela, where it was to rescue a besieged

Spanish colony. Several miles out of port, a stowaway climbed out of a

provision chest: Vasco Nunez de Balboa, a noble Spaniard who had come to

the New World in search of gold but had fallen into debt and had escaped

his creditors by hiding in the chest.

Balboa had been obsessed with gold ever since Columbus had returned

to Spain from his voyages with tales of a fabulous but as yet undiscovered

kingdom called El Dorado. Balboa was one of the first adventurers to come

in search of Columbus's land of gold, and he had decided from the

beginning that he would be the one to find it, through sheer audacity and

single-mindedness. Now diat he was free of his creditors, nothing would

stop him.

Unfortunately the ship's owner, a wealthy jurist named Francisco

Fernandez de Enciso, was furious when told of the stowaway, and he

ordered that Balboa be left on the first island they came across. Before they

found any island, however, Enciso received news that the colony he was to

rescue had been abandoned. This was Balboa's chance. He told the sailors

of his previous voyages to Panama, and of the rumors he had heard of gold

in the area. The excited sailors convinced Enciso to spare Balboa's life, and

to establish a colony in Panama. Weeks later they named their new

setdement “Darien.”

Darien's first governor was Enciso, but Balboa was not a man to let

others steal the initiative. He campaigned against Enciso among the sailors,

who eventually made it clear that diey preferred him as governor. Enciso

fled to Spain, fearing for his life. Months later, when a representative of the

Spanish crown arrived to establish himself as the new, official governor of

Darien, he was turned away. On his return voyage to Spain, this man

drowned; the drowning was accidental, but under Spanish law, Balboa had

murdered the governor and usurped his position.

Balboa's bravado had got him out of scrapes before, but now his hopes

of wealth and glory seemed doomed. To lay claim to El Dorado, should he

discover it, he would need the approval of the Spanish king which, as an

outlaw, he would never receive. There was only one solution. Panamanian

Indians had told Balboa of a vast ocean on the other side of the Central

American isthmus, and had said that by traveling south upon this western

coast, he would reach a fabulous land of gold, called by a name that to his

ears sounded like “Biru.” Balboa decided he would cross the treacherous

jungles of Panama and become the first European to bathe his feet in this

new ocean. From there he would march on El Dorado. If he did this on

Spain's behalf, he would obtain the eternal gratitude of the king, and would

secure his own reprieveonly he had to act before Spanish authorities came

to arrest him.

In 1513, then, Balboa set out, widi 190 soldiers. Halfway across the

isthmus (some ninety miles wide at that point), only sixty soldiers re-

There are very few menand they are the exceptionswho are able to think

and feel beyond the present moment.

Carl von Clausewitz, 1780-1831

THK TWO THOCS

Two frogs dwelt in the same pool The pool being dried up under the

summer's heat, they left it, and set out together to seek another home. As

they went along they chanced to pass a deep well, amply supplied with

water, on seeing which one of the frogs said to the other: “Let us descend

and make our abode in this well, it will furnish us with shelter and food.”

The other replied with greater caution: “But suppose the water should fail

us, how can we get out again from so great a depth ” Do nothing without a

regard to the consequences.

FABLES,

Aesop,

sixth century b.c.

LAW 29

Look to the end, no

matter what it is you

are considering. Often

enough, God gives a

man a glimpse of

happiness, and then

utterly ruins him.

the histories,

Herodotus,

fifth century b.c.

In ancient times a king ofTartary was out walking with some of his

noblemen. At the roadside was an abdal (a wandering Sufi), who cried out:

“Whoever will give me a hundred dinars, I will give him some good

advice.” The king stopped, and said: “Abdal, what is this good advice for a

hundred dinars'7 ”Sir,“ answered the abdal, ”order the sum to be given to

me, and I will tell it you immediately. “ The king did so, expecting to hear

something extraordinary. The dervish said to him: ”My advice is this: Never

begin anything until you have reflected what will be the end of it.“At this

the nobles and everyone else present laughed, saying that the abdal had

been wise to ask for his money in advance. But the king said: ” You . have

no reason to laugh at the good advice this abdal has given me. No one is

mained, many having succumbed to the harsh conditionsthe

bloodsucking insects, the torrential rainfall, fever. Finally, from a

mountaintop, Balboa became the first European to lay eyes on the Pacific

Ocean. Days later he marched in his armor into its waters, bearing the

banner of Castile and claiming all its seas, lands, and islands in the name of

the Spanish throne.

Indians from the area greeted Balboa with gold, jewels, and precious

pearls, the like of which he had never seen. When he asked where these had

come from, die Indians pointed south, to the land of the Incas. But Balboa

had only a few soldiers left. For the moment, he decided, he should return

to Darien, send the jewels and gold to Spain as a token of good will, and

ask for a large army to aid him in the conquest of El Dorado.

When news reached Spain of Balboa's bold crossing of die isthmus, his

discovery of the western ocean, and his planned conquest of El Dorado, the

former criminal became a hero. He was instandy proclaimed governor of

the new land. But before the king and queen received word of his discovery,

they had already sent a dozen ships, under the command of a man named

Pedro Arias Davila, “Pedrarias,” with orders to arrest Balboa for murder

and to take command of the colony. By the time Pedrarias arrived in

Panama, he had learned that Balboa had been pardoned, and that he was to

share die governorship with the former oudaw.

All the same, Balboa felt uneasy. Gold was his dream, El Dorado his

only desire. In pursuit of this goal he had nearly died many times over, and

to share the wealth and glory with a newcomer would be intolerable. He

also soon discovered that Pedrarias was a jealous, bitter man, and equally

unhappy with the situation. Once again, the only solution for Balboa was to

seize the initiative by proposing to cross the jungle with a larger army,

carrying ship-building materials and tools. Once on the Pacific coast, he

would create an armada with which to conquer the Incas. Surprisingly

enough, Pedrarias agreed to the planperhaps sensing it would never work.

Hundreds died in this second march through the jungle, and the timber they

carried rotted in die torrential rains. Balboa, as usual, was undauntedno

power in the world could thwart his planand on arriving at the Pacific he

began to cut down trees for new lumber. But the men remaining to him

were too few and too weak to mount an invasion, and once again Balboa

had to return to Darien.

Pedrarias had in any case invited Balboa back to discuss a new plan,

and on the outskirts of the settlement, the explorer was met by Francisco

Pizarro, an old friend who had accompanied him on his first crossing of the

isthmus. But this was a trap: Leading one hundred soldiers, Pizarro

surrounded his former friend, arrested him, and returned him to Pedrarias,

who tried him on charges of rebellion. A few days later Balboa's head fell

into a basket, along with those of his most trusted followers. Years later

Pizarro himself reached Peru, and Balboa's deeds were forgotten.

Interpretation

Most men are ruled by the heart, not die head. Their plans are vague,

and when they meet obstacles they improvise. But improvisation will only

bring you as far as the next crisis, and is never a substitute for thinking

several steps ahead and planning to the end.

Balboa had a dream of glory and wealth, and a vague plan to reach it.

Yet his bold deeds, and his discovery of the Pacific, are largely forgotten,

for he committed what in die world of power is the ultimate sin: He went

part way, leaving the door open for others to take over. A real man of power

would have had the prudence to see the dangers in the distance the rivals

who would want to share in the conquests, the vultures that would hover

once tiiey heard the word “gold.” Balboa should have kept his knowledge

of the Incas secret until after he had conquered Peru. Only then would his

wealth, and his head, have been secure. Once Pedrarias arrived on the

scene, a man of power and prudence would have schemed to kill or

imprison him, and to take over the army he had brought for die conquest of

Peru. But Balboa was locked in the moment, always reacting emotionally,

never thinking ahead.

What good is it to have the greatest dream in die world if others reap the

benefits and the glory Never lose your head over a vague, open-ended

dreamplan to the end.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

In 1863 the Prussian premier Otto von Bismarck surveyed the

chessboard of European power as it then stood. The main players were

England, France, and Austria. Prussia itself was one of several states in the

loosely allied German Federation. Austria, dominant member of the

Federation, made sure mat die other German states remained weak, divided

and submissive. Bismarck believed that Prussia was destined for something

far greater than servant boy to Austria.

This is how Bismarck played the game. His first move was to start a war

with lowly Denmark, in order to recover the former Prussian lands of

Schleswig-Holstein. He knew that tiiese rumblings of Prussian

independence might worry France and England, so he enlisted Austria in

the war, claiming that he was recovering Schleswig-Holstein for tiieir

benefit. In a few months, after the war was decided, Bismarck demanded

that the newly conquered lands be made part of Prussia. The Austrians of

course were furious, but tiiey compromised: First they agreed to give the

Prussians Schleswig, and a year later tiiey sold them Holstein. The world

began to see that Austria was weakening and that Prussia was on the rise.

Bismarck's next move was his boldest: In 1866 he convinced King

William of Prussia to withdraw from die German Federation, and in doing

so to go to war with Austria itself. King William's wife, his son die crown

prince, and die princes of the otiier German kingdoms vehemently opposed

such a war. But Bismarck, undaunted, succeeded in forcing the conflict, and

Prussia's superior army defeated die Austrians in die brutally

unaware of the fact that we should think well before doing anything.

But we are daily guilty of not remembering, and the consequences are evil.

I very much value this dervish's advice."

The king decided to bear the advice always in his mind, and

commanded it to be written in gold on the walls and even engraved on his

silver plate. Not long afterward a plotter desired to kill the king. He bribed

the royal surgeon with a promise of the prime ministership if he thrust a

poisoned lancet into the king 's arm. When the time came to let some of the

king's blood, a silver basin was placed to catch the blood. Suddenly the

surgeon became aware of the words engraved upon it: “Never begin

anything until you have reflected what will be the end of it.” It was only

then that he realized that if the plotter became king he could have the

surgeon killed instantly, and would not need to fulfill his bargain.

The king, seeing that the surgeon was now trembling, asked him what

was wrong with him. And so he confessed the truth, at that very moment.

The plotter was seized; and the king sent for all the people who had been

present when the abdal gave his advice, and said to them: “Do you still

laugh at the dervish”

caravan of dreams, Idriks Shah, 1968

He who asks fortunetellers the future unwittingly forfeits an inner

intimation of coming events that is a thousand times more exact than

anything they may say.

Walter Benjamin, 1892-1940

short Seven Weeks War. The king and the Prussian generals then wanted

to march on Vienna, taking as much land from Austria as possible. But

Bismarck stopped diemnow he presented himself as on the side of peace.

The result was that he was able to conclude a treaty with Austria that

granted Prussia and the other German states total autonomy. Bismarck

could now position Prussia as die dominant power in Germany and the head

of a newly formed North German Confederation.

The French and the English began to compare Bismarck to Attila the

Hun, and to fear that he had designs on all of Europe. Once he had started

on the path to conquest, there was no telling where he would stop. And,

indeed, three years later Bismarck provoked a war with France. First he

appeared to give his permission to France's annexation of Belgium, then at

die last moment he changed his mind. Playing a cat-and-mouse game, he

infuriated die French emperor, Napoleon III, and stirred up his own king

against the French. To no one's surprise, war broke out in 1870. The newly

formed German federation enthusiastically joined in the war on France, and

once again the Prussian military machine and its allies destroyed the enemy

army in a matter of months. Aldiough Bismarck opposed taking any French

land, the generals convinced him that Alsace-Lorraine would become part

of the federation.

Now all of Europe feared the next move of the Prussian monster, led by

Bismarck, the “Iron Chancellor.” And in fact a year later Bismarck founded

the German Empire, with die Prussian king as the newly crowned emperor

and Bismarck himself a prince. But then somediing strange happened:

Bismarck instigated no more wars. And while the other European powers

grabbed up land for colonies in other continents, he severely limited

Germany's colonial acquisitions. He did not want more land for Germany,

but more security. For the rest of his life he struggled to maintain peace in

Europe and to prevent further wars. Everybody assumed he had changed,

mellowing with the years. They had failed to understand: This was the final

move of his original plan.

Interpretation

There is a simple reason why most men never know when to come off

the attack: They form no concrete idea of their goal. Once they achieve

victory they only hunger for more. To stopto aim for a goal and then keep to

itseems almost inhuman, in fact; yet nothing is more critical to the

maintenance of power. The person who goes too far in his triumphs creates

a reaction that inevitably leads to a decline. The only solution is to plan for

the long run. Foresee the future with as much clarity as the gods on Mount

Olympus, who look through the clouds and see the ends of all tilings.

From the beginning of his career in politics, Bismarck had one goal: to

form an independent German state led by Prussia. He instigated the war

with Denmark not to conquer territory but to stir up Prussian nationalism

and unite the country. He incited the war with Austria only to gain

Prussian independence. (This was why he refused to grab Austrian

territory.) And he fomented the war with France to unite the German

kingdoms against a common enemy, and thus to prepare for the formation

of a united Germany.

Once this was achieved, Bismarck stopped. He never let triumph go to

his head, was never tempted by the siren call of more. He held the reins

tightly, and whenever the generals, or the king, or the Prussian people

demanded new conquests, he held them back. Nothing would spoil the

beauty of his creation, certainly not a false euphoria that pushed those

around him to attempt to go past the end that he had so carefully planned.

Experience shows that, if one foresees from far away the designs to be

undertaken, one can act with speed when the moment comes to execute

them.

Cardinal Richelieu, 1585-1642

KEYS TO POWER

According to the cosmology of the ancient Greeks, the gods were

thought to have complete vision into die future. They saw everything to

come, right down to the intricate details. Men, on the other hand, were seen

as victims of fate, trapped in the moment and tfieir emotions, unable to see

beyond immediate dangers. Those heroes, such as Odysseus, who were able

to look beyond the present and plan several steps ahead, seemed to defy

fate, to approximate the gods in their ability to determine the future. The

comparison is still validthose among us who think further ahead and

patiently bring their plans to fruition seem to have a godlike power.

Because most people are too imprisoned in the moment to plan with this

kind of foresight, the ability to ignore immediate dangers and pleasures

translates into power. It is the power of being able to overcome the natural

human tendency to react to things as they happen, and instead to train

oneself to step back, imagining the larger things taking shape beyond one's

immediate vision. Most people believe that tiiey are in fact aware of the

future, that they are planning and thinking ahead. They are usually deluded:

What they are really doing is succumbing to their desires, to what they want

the future to be. Their plans are vague, based on their imaginations rather

than their reality. They may believe they are thinking all the way to the end,

but they are really only focusing on the happy ending, and deluding

themselves by the strength of their desire.

In 415 B.C., the ancient Athenians attacked Sicily, believing their

expedition would bring them riches, power, and a glorious ending to the

sixteen-year Peloponnesian War. They did not consider the dangers of an

invasion so far from home; they did not foresee that the Sicilians would

fight all the harder since the batdes were in their own homeland, or that all

of Athens's enemies would band together against them, or that war would

break out on several fronts, stretching their forces way too thin. The Sicilian

expedition was a complete disaster, leading to the destruction

of one of the greatest civilizations of all time. The Athenians were led

into this disaster by their hearts, not their minds. They saw only the chance

of glory, not the dangers that loomed in the distance.

Cardinal de Retz, the seventeenth-century Frenchman who prided

himself on his insights into human schemes and why they mostly fail,

analyzed this phenomenon. In the course of a rebellion he spearheaded

against the French monarchy in 1651, the young king, Louis XIV, and his

court had suddenly left Paris and established themselves in a palace outside

the capital. The presence of the king so close to the heart of the revolution

had been a tremendous burden on the revolutionaries, and they breathed a

sigh of relief. This later proved their downfall, however, since the court's

absence from Paris gave it much more room to maneuver. “The most

ordinary cause of people's mistakes,” Cardinal de Retz later wrote, “is their

being too much frightened at the present danger, and not enough so at that

which is remote.”

The dangers that are remote, that loom in the distanceif we can see them

as they take shape, how many mistakes we avoid. How many plans we

would instandy abort if we realized we were avoiding a small danger only

to step into a larger one. So much of power is not what you do but what you

do not dodie rash and foolish actions that you refrain from before they get

you into trouble. Plan in detail before you actdo not let vague plans lead

you into trouble. Will this have unintended consequences Will I stir up new

enemies Will someone else take advantage of my labors Unhappy endings

are much more common than happy onesdo not be swayed by the happy

ending in your mind.

The French elections of 1848 came down to a struggle between Louis-

Adolphe Thiers, the man of order, and General Louis Eugene Cavaignac,

the rabble-rouser of the right. When Thiers realized he was hopelessly

behind in this high-stakes race, he searched desperately for a solution. His

eye fell on Louis Bonaparte, grand-nephew of the great general Napoleon,

and a lowly deputy in the parliament. This Bonaparte seemed a bit of an

imbecile, but his name alone could get him elected in a country yearning for

a strong ruler. He would be Thiers's puppet and eventually would be pushed

offstage. The first part of the plan worked to perfection, and Napoleon was

elected by a large margin. The problem was that Thiers had not foreseen

one simple fact: This “imbecile” was in fact a man of enormous ambition.

Three years later he dissolved parliament, declared himself emperor, and

ruled France for another eighteen years, much to the horror of Thiers and

his party.

The ending is everything. It is the end of the action that determines who

gets the glory, the money, die prize. Your conclusion must be crystal clear,

and you must keep it constantly in mind. You must also figure out how to

ward off the vultures circling overhead, trying to live off the carcass of your

creation. And you must anticipate the many possible crises that will tempt

you to improvise. Bismarck overcame these dangers because he planned to

the end, kept on course through every crisis, and

never let others steal the glory. Once he had reached his stated goal, he

withdrew into his shell like a turtle. This kind of self-control is godlike.

When you see several steps ahead, and plan your moves all the way to

the end, you will no longer be tempted by emotion or by die desire to

improvise. Your clarity will rid you of the anxiety and vagueness that are

the primary reasons why so many fail to conclude tiieir actions successfully.

You see the ending and you tolerate no deviation.

Image:

The Gods on

Mount Olympus.

Looking down on

human actions from the

clouds, they see in advance the

endings of all the great dreams that

lead to disaster and tragedy. And

they laugh at our inability to see beyond

the moment, and at how we delude ourselves.

Authority: How much easier it is never to get in than to get yourself out!

We should act contrary to the reed which, when it first appears, throws up a

long straight stem but afterwards, as though it were exhausted . . . makes

several dense knots, indicating that it no longer has its original vigor and

drive. We must rather begin gendy and coolly, saving our breath for the

encounter and our vigorous thrusts for finishing off the job. In their

beginnings it is we who guide affairs and hold them in our power; but so

often once they are set in motion, it is they which guide us and sweep us

along. (Montaigne, 1533-1592)

REVERSAL

It is a cliche among strategists that your plan must include alternatives

and have a degree of flexibility. That is certainly true. If you are locked into

a plan too rigidly, you will be unable to deal with sudden shifts of fortune.

Once you have examined the future possibilities and decided on your target,

you must build in alternatives and be open to new routes toward your goal.

Most people, however, lose less from overplanning and rigidity than

from vagueness and a tendency to improvise constantly in the face of

circumstance. There is no real purpose in contemplating a reversal to this

Law, then, for no good can come from refusing to think far into the future

and planning to the end. If you are clear- and far-thinking enough, you will

understand that the future is uncertain, and that you must be open to

adaptation. Only having a clear objective and a far-reaching plan allows you

that freedom.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 30

MAKE YOUR

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

SEEM EFFORTLESS

JUDGMENT

Your actions must seem natural and executed with ease. All the toil and

practice that go into them, and also all the clever tricks, must be concealed.

When you act, act effortlessly, as if you could do much more. Avoid the

temptation of revealing how hard you workit only raises questions. Teach

no one your tricks or they will be used against you.

Date Masamune once sent for Tannyu to decorate a pair of gold screens

seven feet high. The artist said he thought black-and-white sketches would

suit them, and went home again after considering them carefully. The next

morning he came early and made a large quantity of ink into which he

dipped a horseshoe he had brought with him, and then proceeded to make

impressions of this all over one of the screens. Then, with a large brush, he

drew a number of lines across them. Meanwhile Masamune had come in to

watch his work, and at this he could contain his irritation no longer, and

muttering, “What a beastly mess!” he strode away to his own apartments.

The retainers told Tannyu he was in a very bad temper indeed. “He

shouldn't look on while I am at work, then, ” replied the painter, “he should

wait till it is finished. ” Then he took up a smaller brush and dashed in

touches here and there, and as he did so the prints of the horse-shoe turned

into crabs, while the big broad strokes became rushes. He then turned to the

other screen and splashed drops of ink all over it, and when he had added a

few brushstrokes here and there they became a flight of

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW I

The Japanese tea ceremony called Cha-no-yu (“Hot Water for Tea”) has

origins in ancient times, but it reached its peak of refinement in the

sixteenth century under its most renowned practitioner, Sen no Rikyu.

Although not from a noble family, Rikyu rose to great power, becoming die

preferred tea master of the Emperor Hideyoshi, and an important adviser on

aesthetic and even political matters. For Rikyu, the secret of success

consisted in appearing natural, concealing the effort behind one's work.

One day Rikyu and his son went to an acquaintance's house for a tea

ceremony. On the way in, the son remarked that die lovely antique-looking

gate at their host's house gave it an evocatively lonely appearance. “I don't

think so,” replied his father, “it looks as though it had been brought from

some mountain temple a long way off, and as if die labor required to import

it must have cost a lot of money.” If the owner of the house had put mis

much effort into one gate, it would show in his tea ceremonyand indeed Sen

no Rikyu had to leave die ceremony early, unable to endure the affectation

and effort it inadvertently revealed.

On another evening, while having tea at a friend's house, Rikyu saw his

host go outside, hold up a lantern in the darkness, cut a lemon off a tree, and

bring it in. This charmed Rikyuthe host needed a relish for die dish he was

serving, and had spontaneously gone outside to get one. But when the man

offered die lemon with some Osaka rice cake, Rikyu realized that he had

planned the cutting of the lemon all along, to go with this expensive

delicacy. The gesture no longer seemed spontaneousit was a way for die

host to prove his cleverness. He had accidentally revealed how hard he was

trying. Having seen enough, Rikyu politely declined the cake, excused

himself, and left.

Emperor Hideyoshi once planned to visit Rikyu for a tea ceremony. On

the night before he was to come, snow began to fall. Thinking quickly,

Rikyu laid round cushions that fit exacdy on each of die stepping-stones

that led through the garden to his house. Just before dawn, he rose, saw that

it had stopped snowing, and carefully removed the cushions. When

Hideyoshi arrived, he marveled at the simple beauty of die sightthe per-

fecdy round stepping stones, unencumbered by snowand noticed how it

called no attention to die manner in which Rikyu had accomplished it, but

only to die polite gesture itself.

After Sen no Rikyu died, his ideas had a profound influence on the

practice of the tea ceremony. The Tokugawa shogun Yorinobu, son of die

great Emperor Ieyasu, was a student of Rikyu's teachings. In his garden he

had a stone lantern made by a famous master, and Lord Sakai Tadakatsu

asked if he could come by one day to see it. Yorinobu replied diat he would

be honored, and commanded his gardeners to put everything in order for the

visit. These gardeners, unfamiliar with the precepts of Cha-no-yu, thought

die stone lantern misshapen, its windows being too small for die present

taste. They had a local workman enlarge the windows. A few days before

Lord Sakai's visit, Yorinobu toured the garden. When he saw die al-

tered windows he exploded with rage, ready to impale on his sword the

fool who had ruined the lantern, upsetting its natural grace and destroying

the whole purpose of Lord Sakai's visit.

When Yorinobu calmed down, however, he remembered that he had

originally bought two of the lanterns, and that the second was in his garden

on the island of Kishu. At great expense, he hired a whale boat and the

finest rowers he could find, ordering them to bring the lantern to him within

two daysa difficult feat at best. But the sailors rowed day and night, and

with the luck of a good wind they arrived just in time. To Yori-nobu's

delight, this stone lantern was more magnificent than the first, for it had

stood untouched for twenty years in a bamboo thicket, acquiring a brilliant

antique appearance and a delicate covering of moss. When Lord Sakai

arrived, later that same day, he was awed by the lantern, which was more

magnificent than he had imaginedso graceful and at one with the elements.

Fortunately he had no idea what time and effort it had cost Yorinobu to

create this sublime effect.

Interpretation

To Sen no Rikyu, the sudden appearance of something naturally, almost

accidentally graceful was the height of beauty. This beauty came without

warning and seemed effortless. Nature created such things by its own laws

and processes, but men had to create their effects through labor and

contrivance. And when they showed the effort of producing the effect, the

effect was spoiled. The gate came from too far away, the cutting of the

lemon looked contrived.

You will often have to use tricks and ingenuity to create your effects the

cushions in the snow, the men rowing all nightbut your audience must never

suspect the work or the thinking that has gone into them. Nature does not

reveal its tricks, and what imitates nature by appearing effortless

approximates nature's power.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW II

The great escape artist Harry Houdini once advertised his act as “The

Impossible Possible.” And indeed those who witnessed his dramatic

escapes felt that what he did onstage contradicted commonsense ideas of

human capacity.

One evening in 1904, an audience of 4,000 Londoners filled a theater to

watch Houdini accept a challenge: to escape from a pair of manacles billed

as the strongest ever invented. They contained six sets of locks and nine

tumblers in each cuff; a Birmingham maker had spent five years

constructing them. Experts who examined them said they had never seen

anything so intricate, and this intricacy was thought to make them

impossible to escape.

The crowd watched the experts secure the manacles on Houdini's wrists.

Then the escape artist entered a black cabinet on stage. The minutes

swallows over willow trees. When Masamune saw the finished work he

was as overjoyed at the artist's skill as he had previously been annoyed at

the apparent mess he was making of the screens.

CHA-NO-YU!

THE JAPANESE TEA

CEREMONY

A. L. Sadler, 1962

There was once a wrestling master who was versed in 360 feints and

holds. He took a special liking to one of his pupils, to whom he taught 359

of them over a period of time. Somehow he never got around to the last

trick. As months went by the young man became so proficient in the art that

he bested everyone who dared to face him in the ring. He was so proud of

his prowess that one day he boasted before the sultan that he could readily

whip his master, were it not out of respect for his age and gratitude for his

tutelage.

The sultan became incensed at this irreverence and ordered an

immediate match with the royal court in attendance. At the gong the youth

barged forward with a lusty yell, only to be confronted with the unfamiliar

360th feint.

The master seized his former pupil, lifted him high above his head, and

flung him crashing to the ground. The sultan and the assembly let out a loud

cheer. When the sultan asked the master how he was able to overcome such

a strong opponent, the master confessed that he had reserved a secret

technique for himself for just such a contingency. Then he related the

lamentation of a master of archery, who taught everything he knew. “No

one has learned archery from me,” the poor fellow complained, “who has

not tried to use me as a butt in the end.”

A STORY OF SAADI,

AS TOLD IN

THE CRAFT OF POWER,

R.G. H. Siu, 1979

went by; the more time passed, the more certain it seemed that these

manacles would be die first to defeat him. At one point he emerged from

the cabinet, and asked diat die cuffs be temporarily removed so diat he

could take off his coatit was hot inside. The challengers refused, suspecting

his request was a trick to find out how the locks worked. Undeterred, and

without using his hands, Houdini managed to lift die coat over his

shoulders, turn it inside out, remove a penknife from his vest pocket widi

his teeth, and, by moving his head, cut the coat off his arms. Freed from die

coat, he stepped back into the cabinet, the audience roaring with approval at

his grace and dexterity.

Finally, having kept the audience waiting long enough, Houdini

emerged from the cabinet a second time, now widi his hands free, die

manacles raised high in triumph. To diis day no one knows how he

managed me escape. Altfiough he had taken close to an hour to free

himself, he had never looked concerned, had shown no sign of doubt.

Indeed it seemed by die end diat he had drawn out die escape as a way to

heighten die drama, to make the audience worryfor tiiere was no other sign

diat die performance had been anydiing but easy. The complaint about die

heat was equally part of die act. The spectators of diis and odier Houdini

performances must have felt he was toying widi them: These manacles are

nothing, he seemed to say, I could have freed myself a lot sooner, and from

a lot worse.

Over the years, Houdini escaped from die chained carcass of an

embalmed “sea monster” (a half octopus, half whalelike beast diat had

beached near Boston); he had himself sealed inside an enormous envelope

from which he emerged widiout breaking die paper; he passed tiirough

brick walls; he wriggled free from straitjackets while dangling high in die

air; he leaped from bridges into icy waters, his hands manacled and his legs

in chains; he had himself submerged in glass cases full of water, hands

padlocked, while the audience watched in amazement as he worked himself

free, struggling for close to an hour apparentiy without breadiing. Each time

he seemed to court certain deadi yet survived with superhuman aplomb.

Meanwhile, he said nothing about his mediods, gave no clues as to how he

accomplished any of his trickshe left his audiences and critics speculating,

his power and reputation enhanced by tiieir struggles with die inexplicable.

Perhaps the most baffling trick of all was making a ten-tiiou-sand-pound

elephant disappear before an audience's eyes, a feat he repeated on stage for

over nineteen weeks. No one has ever really explained how he did diis, for

in die auditorium where he performed the trick, there was simply nowhere

for an elephant to hide.

The effortlessness of Houdini's escapes led some to drink he used occult

forces, his superior psychic abilities giving him special control over his

body. But a German escape artist named Kleppini claimed to know

Houdini's secret: He simply used elaborate gadgets. Kleppini also claimed

to have defeated Houdini in a handcuff challenge in Holland.

Houdini did not mind all kinds of speculation floating around about

his methods, but he would not tolerate an outright lie, and in 1902 he

challenged Kleppini to a handcuff duel. Kleppini accepted. Through a spy,

he found out the secret word to unlock a pair of French combination-lock

cuffs that Houdini liked to use. His plan was to choose these cuffs to escape

from onstage. This would definitively debunk Houdinihis “genius” simply

lay in his use of mechanical gadgets.

On the night of the challenge, just as Kleppini had planned, Houdini

offered him a choice of cuffs and he selected the ones with the combination

lock. He was even able to disappear with them behind a screen to make a

quick test, and reemerged seconds later, confident of victory.

Acting as if he sensed fraud, Houdini refused to lock Kleppini in the

cuffs. The two men argued and began to fight, even wrestling with each

other onstage. After a few minutes of this, an apparently angry, frustrated

Houdini gave up and locked Kleppini in the cuffs. For the next few minutes

Kleppini strained to get free. Something was wrongminutes earlier he had

opened the cuffs behind the screen; now the same code no longer worked.

He sweated, racking his brains. Hours went by, the audience left, and finally

an exhausted and humiliated Kleppini gave up and asked to be released.

The cuffs that Kleppini himself had opened behind the screen with die

word “C-L-E-F-S” (French for “keys”) now clicked open only with the

word “F-R-A-U-D. ”Kleppini never figured out how Houdini had

accomplished this uncanny feat.

Keep the extent of your abilities unknown. The wise man does not allow

his knowledge and abilities to be sounded to the bottom, if he desires to be

honored by all. He allows you to know them but not to comprehend them.

No one must know the extent of his abilities, lest he be disappointed. No

one ever has an opportunity of fathoming him entirely. For guesses and

doubts about the extent of his talents arouse more veneration than accurate

knowledge of them, be they ever so great.

Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658

Interpretation

Although we do not know for certain how Houdini accomplished many

of his most ingenious escapes, one thing is clear: It was not the occult, or

any kind of magic, mat gave him his powers, but hard work and endless

practice, all of which he carefully concealed from the world. Houdini never

left anything to chanceday and night he studied the workings of locks,

researched centuries-old sleight-of-hand tricks, pored over books on

mechanics, whatever he could use. Every moment not spent researching he

spent working his body, keeping himself exceptionally limber, and learning

how to control his muscles and his breathing.

Early on in Houdini's career, an old Japanese performer whom he toured

with taught him an ancient trick: how to swallow an ivory ball, fhen bring it

back up. He practiced this endlessly with a small peeled potato tied to a

stringup and down he would manipulate the potato wim his throat muscles,

until they were strong enough to move it without the string. The organizers

of the London handcuff challenge had searched Houdini's body thoroughly

beforehand, but no one could check the inside of his throat, where he could

have concealed small tools to help him escape. Even so, Kleppini was

fundamentally wrong: It was not Houdini's tools but his practice, work, and

research that made his escapes possible.

Kleppini, in fact, was completely outwitted by Houdini, who set the

whole thing up. He let his opponent learn the code to the French cuffs,

LAW 30

then baited him into choosing those cuffs onstage. Then, during the two

men's tussle, the dexterous Houdini was able to change the code to “F-R-A-

U-D.” He had spent weeks practicing this trick, but the audience saw none

of the sweat and toil behind the scenes. Nor was Houdini ever nervous; he

induced nervousness in others. (He deliberately dragged out the time it

would take to escape, as a way of heightening the drama, and making the

audience squirm.) His escapes from death, always graceful and easy, made

him look like a superman.

As a person of power, you must research and practice endlessly before

appearing in public, onstage or anywhere else. Never expose the sweat and

labor behind your poise. Some think such exposure will demonstrate their

diligence and honesty, but it actually just makes them look weakeras if

anyone who practiced and worked at it could do what they had done, or as

if they weren't really up to the job. Keep your effort and your tricks to

yourself and you seem to have the grace and ease of a god. One never sees

the source of a god's power revealed; one only sees its effects.

A line [of poetry] will take us hours maybe;

Yet if it does not seem a moment's thought,

Our stitching and unstitching has been naught.

Adam's Curse, William Butler Yeats, 1865-1939

KEYS TO POWER

Humanity's first notions of power came from primitive encounters with

na-turethe flash of lightning in the sky, a sudden flood, the speed and

ferocity of a wild animal. These forces required no thinking, no

planningthey awed us by their sudden appearance, their gracefulness, and

their power over life and death. And this remains the kind of power we have

always wanted to imitate. Through science and technology we have re-

created the speed and sublime power of nature, but something is missing:

Our machines are noisy and jerky, they reveal their effort. Even the very

best creations of technology cannot root out our admiration for things that

move easily and effortlessly. The power of children to bend us to their will

comes from a kind of seductive charm that we feel in the presence of a

creature less reflective and more graceful than we are. We cannot return to

such a state, but if we can create the appearance of this kind of ease, we

elicit in others the kind of primitive awe that nature has always evoked in

humankind.

One of the first European writers to expound on this principle came

from that most unnatural of environments, the Renaissance court. In The

Book of the Courtier, published in 1528, Baldassare Castiglione describes

the highly elaborate and codified manners of the perfect court citizen. And

yet, Castiglione explains, the courtier must execute these gestures with what

he calls sprezzfltura, the capacity to make the difficult seem easy. He urges

the courtier to "practice in all tilings a certain nonchalance which conceals

all

artistry and makes whatever one says or does seem uncontrived and

effortless.“ We all admire the achievement of some unusual feat, but if it is

accomplished naturally and gracefully, our admiration increases tenfold

”whereas ... to labor at what one is doing and ... to make bones over it,

shows an extreme lack of grace and causes everything, whatever its worth,

to be discounted."

Much of the idea of sprezzatura came from the world of art. All the

great Renaissance artists carefully kept their works under wraps. Only the

finished masterpiece could be shown to the public. Michelangelo forbade

even popes to view his work in process. A Renaissance artist was always

careful to keep his studios shut to patrons and public alike, not out of fear of

imitation, but because to see the making of the works would mar the magic

of dieir effect, and their studied atmosphere of ease and natural beauty.

The Renaissance painter Vasari, also the first great art critic, ridiculed

the work of Paolo Uccello, who was obsessed with the laws of perspective.

The effort Uccello spent on improving the appearance of perspective was

too obvious in his workit made his paintings ugly and labored,

overwhelmed by the effort of their effects. We have the same response

when we watch performers who put too much effort into dieir act: Seeing

them trying so hard breaks the illusion. It also makes us uncomfortable.

Calm, graceful performers, on the odier hand, set us at ease, creating the

illusion that they are not acting but being natural and themselves, even

when everything they are doing involves labor and practice.

The idea of sprezzfltura is relevant to all forms of power, for power

depends vitally on appearances and the illusions you create. Your public

actions are like artworks: They must have visual appeal, must create

anticipation, even entertain. When you reveal the inner workings of your

creation, you become just one more mortal among others. What is

understandable is not awe-inspiringwe tell ourselves we could do as well if

we had the money and time. Avoid the temptation of showing how clever

you areit is far more clever to conceal the mechanisms of your cleverness.

Talleyrand's application of this concept to his daily life greatly enhanced

the aura of power that surrounded him. He never liked to work too hard, so

he made others do the work for himdie spying, the research, the detailed

analyses. With all this labor at his disposal, he himself never seemed to

strain. When his spies revealed that a certain event was about to take place,

he would talk in social conversation as if he sensed its imminence. The

result was that people thought he was clairvoyant. His short pithy

statements and witticisms always seemed to summarize a situation

perfectly, but diey were based on much research and thought. To those in

government, including Napoleon himself, Talleyrand gave the impression of

immense poweran effect entirely dependent on the apparent ease with

which he accomplished his feats.

There is another reason for concealing your shortcuts and tricks:

When you let this information out, you give people ideas they can use

against you. You lose the advantages of keeping silent. We tend to want the

world to know what we have donewe want our vanity gratified by having

our hard work and cleverness applauded, and we may even want sympathy

for the hours it has taken to reach our point of artistry. Learn to control this

propensity to blab, for its effect is often the opposite of what you expected.

Remember: The more mystery surrounds your actions, the more awesome

your power seems. You appear to be die only one who can do what you

doand the appearance of having an exclusive gift is immensely powerful.

Finally, because you achieve your accomplishments with grace and ease,

people believe that you could always do more if you tried harder. This

elicits not only admiration but a touch of fear. Your powers are untappedno

one can fathom their limits.

Image: The Racehorse. From up close we would see the strain, the effort

to control the horse, the labored, painful breathing. But from the distance

where we sit and watch, it is all gracefulness, flying through the air. Keep

others at a distance and they will only see the ease with which you move.

Authority: For whatever action [nonchalance] accompanies, no matter

how trivial it is, it not only reveals the skill of the person doing it but also

very often causes it to be considered far greater than it really is. This is

because it makes the onlookers believe that a man who performs well with

so much facility must possess even greater skill than he does. (Baldassare

Castiglione, 1478-1529)

REVERSAL

The secrecy with which you surround your actions must seem

lighthearted in spirit. A zeal to conceal your work creates an unpleasant,

almost paranoiac impression: you are taking the game too seriously.

Houdini was careful to make the concealment of his tricks seem a game, all

part of the show. Never show your work until it is finished, but if you put

too much effort into keeping it under wraps you will be like the painter

Pontormo, who spent the last years of his life hiding his frescoes from the

public eye and only succeeded in driving himself mad. Always keep your

sense of humor about yourself.

There are also times when revealing die inner workings of your projects

can prove worthwhile. It all depends on your audience's taste, and on

the times in which you operate. P. T. Barnum recognized that his public

wanted to feel involved in his shows, and that understanding his tricks

delighted them, pardy, perhaps, because implicitly debunking people who

kept their sources of power hidden from the masses appealed to America's

democratic spirit. The public also appreciated the showman's humor and

honesty. Barnum took this to the extreme of publicizing his own humbug-

gery in his popular autobiography, written when his career was at its height.

As long as die partial disclosure of tricks and techniques is carefully

planned, rather than the result of an uncontrollable need to blab, it is the

ultimate in cleverness. It gives die audience the illusion of being superior

and involved, even while much of what you do remains concealed from

them.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 31

CONTROL THE OPTIONS:

GET OTHERS TO PLAY WITH

THE CARDS YOU DEAL

JUDGMENT

The best deceptions are the ones that seem to give the other person a

choice: Your victims feel they are in control, but are actually your puppets.

Give people options that come out in your favor whichever one they

choose. Force them to make choices between the lesser of two evils, both of

which serve your purpose. Put them on the horns of a dilemma: They are

gored wherever they turn.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW I

From early in his reign, Ivan IV, later known as Ivan the Terrible, had to

confront an unpleasant reality: The country desperately needed reform, but

he lacked the power to push it through. The greatest limit to his authority

came from the boyars, the Russian princely class that dominated the

country and terrorized the peasantry.

In 1553, at the age of twenty-three, Ivan fell ill. Lying in bed, nearing

death, he asked the boyars to swear allegiance to his son as the new czar.

Some hesitated, some even refused. Then and there Ivan saw he had no

power over the boyars. He recovered from his illness, but he never forgot

the lesson: The boyars were out to destroy him. And indeed in the years to

come, many of the most powerful of them defected to Russia's main

enemies, Poland and Lithuania, where they plotted their return and the

overthrow of the czar. Even one of Ivan's closest friends, Prince Andrey

Kurbski, suddenly turned against him, defecting to Lithuania in 1564, and

becoming the strongest of Ivan's enemies.

When Kurbski began raising troops for an invasion, the royal dynasty

seemed suddenly more precarious than ever. With emigre nobles fomenting

invasion from the west, Tartars bearing down from the east, and the boyars

stirring up trouble within the country, Russia's vast size made it a nightmare

to defend. In whatever direction Ivan struck, he would leave himself

vulnerable on the other side. Only if he had absolute power could he deal

with this many-headed Hydra. And he had no such power.

Ivan brooded until the morning of December 3, 1564, when the citizens

of Moscow awoke to a strange sight. Hundreds of sleds filled the square

before the Kremlin, loaded with the czar's treasures and with provisions for

the entire court. They watched in disbelief as the czar and his court boarded

the sleds and left town. Without explaining why, he established himself in a

village south of Moscow. For an entire month a kind of terror gripped the

capital, for the Muscovites feared that Ivan had abandoned them to the

bloodthirsty boyars. Shops closed up and riotous mobs gathered daily.

Finally, on January 3 of 1565, a letter arrived from the czar, explaining that

he could no longer bear the boyars' betrayals and had decided to abdicate

once and for all.

Read aloud in public, the letter had a startling effect: Merchants and

commoners blamed the boyars for Ivan's decision, and took to the streets,

terrifying the nobility with their fury. Soon a group of delegates

representing the church, the princes, and the people made the journey to

Ivan's village, and begged the czar, in the name of the holy land of Russia,

to return to the throne. Ivan listened but would not change his mind. After

days of hearing their pleas, however, he offered his subjects a choice: Either

they grant him absolute powers to govern as he pleased, with no

interference from the boyars, or they find a new leader.

Faced with a choice between civil war and the acceptance of despotic

power, almost every sector of Russian society “opted” for a strong czar,

calling for Ivan's return to Moscow and the restoration of law and order. In

The German Chancellor Bismarck, enraged at the constant criticisms

from Rudolf Virchow (the German pathologist and liberal politician), had

his seconds call upon the scientist to challenge him to a duel. “As the

challenged party, I have the choice of weapons, ” said Virchow, “and I

choose these. ” He held aloft two large and apparently identical sausages.

“One of these,” he went on, “is infected with deadly germs; the other is

perfectly sound. Let His Excellency decide which one he wishes to eat, and

I will eat the other.” A Imost immediately the message came back that the

chancellor had decided to cancel the duel.

the little, brown book of anecdotes, Clifton Fadiman, hd., 1985

Once upon a time there was a king of Armenia, who, being of a curious

turn of mind and in need of some new diversion, sent his heralds throughout

the land to make the following proclamation: “Hear this! Whatever man

among you can prove himself the most outrageous liar in Armenia shall

receive an apple made of pure gold from the hands of His Majesty the

King!” People began to swarm to the palace from every town and hamlet in

the country, people of all ranks and conditions, princes, merchants, farmers,

priests, rich and poor, tall and short, fat and thin. There was no lack of liars

in the land, and each one told his tale to the king. A ruler, however, has

heard practically every sort of lie, and none of those now told him

convinced the king that he had listened to the best of them. The king was

beginning to grow tired of his new sport and was thinking of calling the

whole contest off without declaring a winner, when there appeared before

him a poor, ragged man, carrying a large earthenware pitcher under his arm.

“What can I do for you” asked His Majesty. “Sire!” said the poor man,

slightly bewil-

February, with much celebration, Ivan returned to Moscow. The

Russians could no longer complain if he behaved dictatoriallythey had

given him this power themselves.

Interpretation

Ivan the Terrible faced a terrible dilemma: To give in to die boyars

would lead to certain destruction, but civil war would bring a different kind

of ruin. Even if Ivan came out of such a war on top, die country would be

devastated and its divisions would be stronger dian ever. His weapon of

choice in the past had been to make a bold, offensive move. Now, however,

that kind of move would turn against himthe more boldly he confronted his

enemies, die worse die reactions he would spark.

The main weakness of a show of force is that it stirs up resentment and

eventually leads to a response that eats at your audiority Ivan, immensely

creative in the use of power, saw clearly that die only padi to die kind of

victory he wanted was a false wididrawal. He would not force the country

over to his position, he would give it “options”: eidier his abdication, and

certain anarchy, or his accession to absolute power. To back up his move, he

made it clear diat he preferred to abdicate: “Call my bluff,” he said, “and

watch what happens.” No one called his bluff. By withdrawing for just a

month, he showed the country a glimpse of die nightmares that would

follow his abdicationTartar invasions, civil war, ruin. (All of these did

eventually come to pass after Ivan's deadi, in the infamous “Time of die

Troubles.”)

Withdrawal and disappearance are classic ways of controlling the

options. You give people a sense of how things will fall apart without you,

and you offer diem a “choice”: I stay away and you suffer die

consequences, or I return under circumstances that I dictate. In this mediod

of controlling people's options, they choose the option that gives you power

because die alternative is just too unpleasant. You force their hand, but

indirecdy: They seem to have a choice. Whenever people feel tiiey have a

choice, they walk into your trap diat much more easily.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW II

As a seventeenth-century French courtesan, Ninon de Lenclos found

diat her life had certain pleasures. Her lovers came from royalty and

aristocracy, and diey paid her well, entertained her witii tiieir wit and

intellect, satisfied her radier demanding sensual needs, and treated her

almost as an equal. Such a life was infinitely preferable to marriage. In

1643, however, Ninon's motiier died suddenly, leaving her, at the age of

twenty-three, totally alone in the worldno family, no dowry, notiiing to fall

back upon. A kind of panic overtook her and she entered a convent, turning

her back on her illustrious lovers. A year later she left the convent and

moved to Lyons. When she finally reappeared in Paris, in 1648, lovers and

suitors flocked to her door in greater numbers tiian ever before, for she was

die wittiest and

most spirited courtesan of the time and her presence had been greatly

missed.

Ninon's followers quickly discovered, however, that she had changed

her old way of doing things, and had set up a new system of options. The

dukes, seigneurs, and princes who wanted to pay for her services could

continue to do so, but they were no longer in controlshe would sleep with

them when she wanted, according to her whim. All their money bought

them was a possibility. If it was her pleasure to sleep with them only once a

month, so be it.

Those who did not want to be what Ninon called a payeur could join the

large and growing group of men she called her martyrs men who visited her

apartment principally for her friendship, her biting wit, her lute-playing, and

the company of the most vibrant minds of the period, including Moliere, La

Rochefoucauld, and Saint-Evremond. The martyrs, too, however,

entertained a possibility: She would regularly select from them a favori, a

man who would become her lover without having to pay, and to whom she

would abandon herself completely for as long as she so desireda week, a

few months, rarely longer. A payeur could not become a favori, but a

martyr had no guarantee of becoming one, and indeed could remain

disappointed for an entire lifetime. The poet Charleval, for example, never

enjoyed Ninon's favors, but never stopped coming to visithe did not want to

do without her company.

As word of this system reached polite French society, Ninon became the

object of intense hostility. Her reversal of the position of the courtesan

scandalized the queen mother and her court. Much to their horror, however,

it did not discourage her male suitorsindeed it only increased their numbers

and intensified their desire. It became an honor to be a payeur, helping

Ninon to maintain her lifestyle and her glittering salon, accompanying her

sometimes to die theater, and sleeping with her when she chose. Even more

distinguished were the martyrs, enjoying her company without paying for it

and maintaining the hope, however remote, of some day becoming her

favori. That possibility spurred on many a young nobleman, as word spread

that none among the courtesans could surpass Ninon in the art of love. And

so the married and the single, the old and the young, entered her web and

chose one of the two options presented to them, both of which amply

satisfied her.

dered. "Surely you

remember You owe

me a pot of gold, and I

have come to

collect it. "

"You are a perfect liar,

sir!" exclaimed the

king. "I owe you no

money!"

“A perfect liar, am I ”

said the poor man.

" Then give me the

golden apple!"

The king, realizing that

the man was trying to

trick him, started to

hedge.

"No, no! You are not a

liar!"

"Then give me the pot

of gold you owe me,

sire," said the man.

The king saw the

dilemma. He handed

over the golden apple.

armenian folk-tales and fables, retold by Charles Downing, 1993

Interpretation

The life of the courtesan entailed the possibility of a power that was

denied a married woman, but it also had obvious perils. The man who paid

for the courtesan's services in essence owned her, determining when he

could possess her and when, later on, he would abandon her. As she grew

older, her options narrowed, as fewer men chose her. To avoid a life of

poverty she had to amass her fortune while she was young. The courtesan's

legendary greed, then, reflected a practical necessity, yet also lessened her

allure, since the illusion of being desired is important to men, who are often

alien-

./. P. Morgan Sr. once told a jeweler of his acquaintance that he was

interested in buying a pearl scarf-pin. Just a few weeks later, the jeweler

happened upon a magnificent pearl. He had it mounted in an appropriate

setting and sent it to Morgan, together with a bill for $5,000. The following

day the package was returned. Morgan's accompanying note read: “/ like

the pin, but I don't like the price. If you will accept the enclosed check for

$4,000, please send back the box with the seal unbroken. ” The enraged

jeweler refused the check and dismissed the messenger in disgust. He

opened up the box to reclaim the unwanted pin, only to find that it had been

removed. In its place was a check for $5,000.

the little, brown

book of anhcdoths,

Clifton Fadiman, h,d.,

ated if their partner is too interested in their money. As the courtesan

aged, then, she faced a most difficult fate.

Ninon de Lenclos had a horror of any kind of dependence. She early on

tasted a kind of equality with her lovers, and she would not settle into a

system that left her such distasteful options. Strangely enough, the system

she devised in its place seemed to satisfy her suitors as much as it did her.

The payeurs may have had to pay, but the fact that Ninon would only sleep

with them when she wanted to gave them a thrill unavailable with every

other courtesan: She was yielding out of her own desire. The martyrs'

avoidance of the taint of having to pay gave them a sense of superiority; as

members of Ninon's fraternity of admirers, they also might some day

experience the ultimate pleasure of being her favori. Finally, Ninon did not

force her suitors into either category. They could “choose” which side they

preferreda freedom that left them a vestige of masculine pride.

Such is the power of giving people a choice, or rather the illusion of

one, for they are playing with cards you have dealt them. Where the

alternatives set up by Ivan the Terrible involved a certain riskone option

would have led to his losing his powerNinon created a situation in which

every option redounded to her favor. From the payeurs she received the

money she needed to run her salon. And from the martyrs she gained the

ultimate in power: She could surround herself with a bevy of admirers, a

harem from which to choose her lovers.

The system, though, depended on one critical factor: the possibility,

however remote, that a martyr could become a favori. The illusion that

riches, glory, or sensual satisfaction may someday fall into your victim's lap

is an irresistible carrot to include in your list of choices. That hope, however

slim, will make men accept die most ridiculous situations, because it leaves

them the all-important option of a dream. The illusion of choice, married to

the possibility of future good fortune, will lure the most stubborn sucker

into your glittering web.

KEYS TO POWER

Words like “freedom,” “options,” and “choice” evoke a power of

possibility far beyond the reality of the benefits they entail. When examined

closely, the choices we havein the marketplace, in elections, in our jobstend

to have noticeable limitations: They are often a matter of a choice simply

between A and B, with the rest of the alphabet out of the picture. Yet as

long as the faintest mirage of choice flickers on, we rarely focus on the

missing options. We “choose” to believe that the game is fair, and that we

have our freedom. We prefer not to think too much about the depth of our

liberty to choose.

This unwillingness to probe the smallness of our choices stems from the

fact that too much freedom creates a kind of anxiety. The phrase “unlimited

options” sounds infinitely promising, but unlimited options would actually

paralyze us and cloud our ability to choose. Our limited range of choices

comforts us.

This supplies the clever and cunning with enormous opportunities for

deception. For people who are choosing between alternatives find it hard to

believe they are being manipulated or deceived; they cannot see that you

are allowing them a small amount of free will in exchange for a much more

powerful imposition of your own will. Setting up a narrow range of choices,

then, should always be a part of your deceptions. There is a saying: If you

can get the bird to walk into the cage on its own, it will sing that much more

prettily.

The following are among the most common forms of “controlling the

options”:

Color the Choices. This was a favored technique of Henry Kissinger. As

President Richard Nixon's secretary of state, Kissinger considered himself

better informed than his boss, and believed that in most situations he could

make the best decision on his own. But if he tried to determine policy, he

would offend or perhaps enrage a notoriously insecure man. So Kissinger

would propose three or four choices of action for each situation, and would

present them in such a way that the one he preferred always seemed the best

solution compared to the others. Time after time, Nixon fell for the bait,

never suspecting that he was moving where Kissinger pushed him. This is

an excellent device to use on the insecure master.

Force the Resister. One of the main problems faced by Dr. Milton H. Er-

ickson, a pioneer of hypnosis therapy in the 1950s, was the relapse. His

patients might seem to be recovering rapidly, but their apparent

susceptibility to the therapy masked a deep resistance: They would soon

relapse into old habits, blame the doctor, and stop coming to see him. To

avoid this, Erick-son began ordering some patients to have a relapse, to

make themselves feel as bad as when they first came into go back to square

one. Faced with this option, the patients would usually “choose” to avoid

the relapse which, of course, was what Erickson really wanted.

This is a good technique to use on children and other willful people who

enjoy doing the opposite of what you ask them to: Push them to “choose”

what you want them to do by appearing to advocate the opposite.

Alter the Playing Field. In the 1860s, John D. Rockefeller set out to

create an oil monopoly. If he tried to buy up the smaller oil companies they

would figure out what he was doing and fight back. Instead, he began se-

credy buying up the railway companies that transported the oil. When he

then attempted to take over a particular company, and met with resistance,

he reminded diem of their dependence on the rails. Refusing them shipping,

or simply raising their fees, could ruin their business. Rockefeller altered

the playing field so that die only options the small oil producers had were

die ones he gave diem.

In this tactic your opponents know their hand is being forced, but it

doesn't matter. The technique is effective against those who resist at all

costs.

The Shrinking Options. The late-nineteenth-century art dealer Am-

broise VoUard perfected this technique.

Customers would come to Vollard's shop to see some Cezannes. He

would show three paintings, neglect to mention a price, and pretend to doze

off. The visitors would have to leave without deciding. They would usually

come back the next day to see the paintings again, but this time Vollard

would pull out less interesting works, pretending he thought they were the

same ones. The baffled customers would look at the new offerings, leave to

think them over, and return yet again. Once again the same thing would

happen: Vollard would show paintings of lesser quality still. Finally the

buyers would realize they had better grab what he was showing them,

because tomorrow they would have to settle for something worse, perhaps

at even higher prices.

A variation on this technique is to raise the price every time the buyer

hesitates and another day goes by. This is an excellent negotiating ploy to

use on the chronically indecisive, who will fall for the idea that they are

getting a better deal today than if they wait till tomorrow.

The Weak Man on the Precipice. The weak are the easiest to maneuver

by controlling their options. Cardinal de Retz, die great seventeenth-century

provocateur, served as an unofficial assistant to the Duke of Orleans, who

was notoriously indecisive. It was a constant struggle to convince the duke

to take actionhe would hem and haw, weigh the options, and wait till the

last moment, giving everyone around him an ulcer. But Retz discovered a

way to handle him: He would describe all sorts of dangers, exaggerating

them as much as possible, until the duke saw a yawning abyss in every

direction except one: the one Retz was pushing him to take.

This tactic is similar to “Color the Choices,” but widi the weak you

have to be more aggressive. Work on their emotionsuse fear and terror to

propel them into action. Try reason and they will always find a way to

procrastinate.

Brothers in Crime. This is a classic con-artist technique: You attract

your victims to some criminal scheme, creating a bond of blood and guilt

between you. They participate in your deception, commit a crime (or think

they dosee the story of Sam Geezil in Law 3), and are easily manipulated.

Serge Stavisky, the great French con artist of the 1920s, so entangled the

government in his scams and swindles that die state did not dare to

prosecute him, and “chose” to leave him alone. It is often wise to implicate

in your deceptions the very person who can do you the most harm if you

fail. Their involvement can be subtieeven a hint of their involvement will

narrow their options and buy their silence.

The Horns of a Dilemma. This idea was demonstrated by General

William Sherman's infamous march through Georgia during the American

Civil War. Although the Confederates knew what direction Sherman was

heading in, they never knew if he would attack from the left or the right,

for he divided his army into two wingsand if the rebels retreated from one

wing they found themselves facing the other. This is a classic trial lawyer's

technique: The lawyer leads the witnesses to decide between two possible

explanations of an event, both of which poke a hole in their story. They

have to answer the lawyer's questions, but whatever they say they hurt

themselves. The key to this move is to strike quickly: Deny the victim the

time to think of an escape. As they wriggle between the horns of the

dilemma, they dig their own grave.

Understand: In your struggles with your rivals, it will often be necessary

for you to hurt mem. And if you are clearly the agent of their punishment,

expect a counterattackexpect revenge. If, however, they seem to themselves

to be the agents of their own misfortune, they will submit quietly. When

Ivan left Moscow for his rural village, the citizens asking him to return

agreed to his demand for absolute power. Over the years to come, they

resented him less for the terror he unleashed on the country, because, after

all, they had granted him his power themselves. This is why it is always

good to allow your victims their choice of poison, and to cloak your

involvement in providing it to them as far as possible.

Image: The Horns ofthe Bull. The bullbacks you into the corner with its

hornsnota single horn, which youmight be able to escape, but a pair of

hornsthat trap you within theirhold. Run right or runlefteither way youmove

into their piercingends and are gored.

Authority: For the wounds and every other evil that men inflict upon

themselves spontaneously, and of their own choice, are in the long run less

painful than those inflicted by others. (Niccolo Machiavelli, 1469-1527)

REVERSAL

Controlling the options has one main purpose: to disguise yourself as

the agent of power and punishment. The tactic works best, then, for tiiose

whose power is fragile, and who cannot operate too openly without

incurring suspicion, resentment, and anger. Even as a general rule, however,

it is rarely wise to be seen as exerting power directly and forcefully, no

matter how secure or strong you are. It is usually more elegant and more

effective to give people the illusion of choice.

On the other hand, by limiting other people's options you sometimes

limit your own. There are situations in which it is to your advantage to

allow your rivals a large degree of freedom: As you watch them operate,

you give yourself rich opportunities to spy, gather information, and plan

your deceptions. The nineteentii-century banker James Rothschild liked this

method: He felt that if he tried to control his opponents' movements, he lost

the chance to observe their strategy and plan a more effective course. The

more freedom he allowed them in the short term, the more forcefully he

could act against them in the long run.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 32

PLAY TO PEOPLE'S FANTASIES

JUDGMENT

The truth is often avoided because it is ugly and unpleasant. Never

appeal to truth and reality unless you are prepared for the anger that comes

from disenchantment. Life is so harsh and distressing that people who can

manufacture romance or conjure up fantasy are like oases in the desert:

Everyone flocks to them. There is great power in tapping into the fantasies

of the masses.

I IIK ITNKUAI. OF TIIK I.IONKSS

The lion having suddenly lost his queen, every one hastened to show

allegiance to the monarch, by offering consolation. These compliments,

alas, served but to increase the widower's affliction. Due notice was given

throughout the kingdom that the funeral would be performed at a certain

time and place; the lion's officers were ordered to be in attendance, to

regulate the ceremony, and place the company according to their respective

rank. One may well judge no one absented himself. The monarch gave way

to his grief, and the whole cave, lions having no other temples, resounded

with his cries. After his example, all the courtiers roared in their different

tones. A court is the sort of place where everyone is either sorrowful, gay,

or indifferent to everything, just as the reigning prince may think fit; or if

any one is not actually, he at least tries to appear so; each endeavors to

mimic the master. It is truly said that one mind animates a thousand bodies,

clearly showing that human beings are mere machines. But let us return to

our subject. The stag alone shed no tears. How could he, forsooth The death

of the queen avenged him; she had

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

The city-state of Venice was prosperous for so long that its citizens felt

their small republic had destiny on its side. In the Middle Ages and High

Renaissance, its virtual monopoly on trade to the east made it die wealthiest

city in Europe. Under a beneficent republican government, Venetians

enjoyed liberties that few other Italians had ever known. Yet in the sixteenth

century dieir fortunes suddenly changed. The opening of the New World

transferred power to die Atiantic side of Europeto die Spanish and

Portuguese, and later the Dutch and English. Venice could not compete

economically and its empire gradually dwindled. The final blow was the

devastating loss of a prized Mediterranean possession, the island of Cyprus,

captured from Venice by die Turks in 1570.

Now noble families went broke in Venice, and banks began to fold. A

kind of gloom and depression setded over die citizens. They had known a

glittering pasthad eidier lived through it or heard stories about it from their

elders. The closeness of the glory years was humiliating. The Venetians half

believed diat die goddess Fortune was only playing a joke on them, and that

die old days would soon return. For the time being, tiiough, what could they

In 1589 rumors began to swirl around Venice of the arrival not far away

of a mysterious man called “II Bragadino,” a master of alchemy, a man who

had won incredible wealtii through his ability, it was said, to multiply gold

through die use of a secret substance. The rumor spread quickly because a

few years earlier, a Venetian nobleman passing through Poland had heard a

learned man prophesy that Venice would recover her past glory and power

if she could find a man who understood die alchemic art of manufacturing

gold. And so, as word reached Venice of die gold this Bragadino

possessedhe clinked gold coins continuously in his hands, and golden

objects filled his palacesome began to dream: Through him, their city

would prosper again.

Members of Venice's most important noble families accordingly went

togetiier to Brescia, where Bragadino lived. They toured his palace and

watched in awe as he demonstrated his gold-making abilities, taking a pinch

of seemingly worthless minerals and transforming it into several ounces of

gold dust. The Venetian senate prepared to debate the idea of extending an

official invitation to Bragadino to stay in Venice at the city's expense, when

word suddenly reached them that they were competing with the Duke of

Mantua for his services. They heard of a magnificent party in Bragadino's

palace for the duke, featuring garments with golden buttons, gold watches,

gold plates, and on and on. Worried they might lose Bragadino to Mantua,

die senate voted almost unanimously to invite him to Venice, promising him

the mountain of money he would need to continue living in his luxurious

stylebut only if he came right away.

Late that year die mysterious Bragadino arrived in Venice. With his

piercing dark eyes under thick brows, and the two enormous black mastiffs

diat accompanied him everywhere, he was forbidding and impressive. He

took up residence in a sumptuous palace on the island of the Giudecca,

with the republic funding his banquets, his expensive clothes, and all his

other whims. A kind of alchemy fever spread through Venice. On street

corners, hawkers would sell coal, distilling apparatus, bellows, how-to

books on the subject. Everyone began to practice alchemyeveryone except

Bragadino.

The alchemist seemed to be in no hurry to begin manufacturing the gold

that would save Venice from ruin. Strangely enough this only increased his

popularity and following; people thronged from all over Europe, even Asia,

to meet this remarkable man. Months went by, with gifts pouring in to

Bragadino from all sides. Still he gave no sign of the miracle that the

Venetians confidently expected him to produce. Eventually the citizens

began to grow impatient, wondering if he would wait forever. At first the

senators warned them not to hurry himhe was a capricious devil, who

needed to be cajoled. Finally, though, the nobility began to wonder too, and

the senate came under pressure to show a return on the city's ballooning

investment.

Bragadino had only scorn for die doubters, but he responded to them.

He had, he said, already deposited in the city's mint the mysterious

substance with which he multiplied gold. He could use this substance up all

at once, and produce double the gold, but the more slowly the process took

place, the more it would yield. If left alone for seven years, sealed in a

casket, the substance would multiply the gold in the mint thirty times over.

Most of the senators agreed to wait to reap the gold mine Bragadino

promised. Others, however, were angry: seven more years of this man

living royally at the public trough! And many of the common citizens of

Venice echoed these sentiments. Finally the alchemist's enemies demanded

he produce a proof of his skills: a substantial amount of gold, and soon.

Lofty, apparently devoted to his art, Bragadino responded that Venice,

in its impatience, had betrayed him, and would therefore lose his services.

He left town, going first to nearby Padua, then, in 1590, to Munich, at the

invitation of the Duke of Bavaria, who, like the entire city of Venice, had

known great wealth but had fallen into bankruptcy through his own

profligacy, and hoped to regain his fortune through the famous alchemist's

services. And so Bragadino resumed the comfortable arrangement he had

known in Venice, and the same pattern repeated itself.

Interpretation

The young Cypriot Mamugna had lived in Venice for several years

before reincarnating himself as the alchemist Bragadino. He saw how

gloom had settled on the city, how everyone was hoping for a redemption

from some indefinite source. While other charlatans mastered everyday

cons based on sleight of hand, Mamugna mastered human nature. With

Venice as his target from the start, he traveled abroad, made some money

through his alchemy scams, and then returned to Italy, setting up shop in

Brescia. There he created a reputation that he knew would spread to Venice.

From a distance, in fact, his aura of power would be all the more

impressive. At first Mamugna did not use vulgar demonstrations to

convince peo-

formerly strangled his wife and son. A courtier thought fit to inform the

bereaved monarch, and even affirmed that he had seen the stag laugh. The

rage of a king, says Solomon, is terrible, and especially that of a lion-king.

“Pitiful forester!” he exclaimed, “darest thou laugh when all around are

dissolved in tears We will not soil our royal claws with thy profane blood!

Do thou, brave wolf, avenge our queen, by immolating this traitor to her

august manes.”

Hereupon the stag replied: “Sire, the time for weeping is passed; grief is

here superfluous. Your revered spouse appeared to me but now, reposing on

a bed of roses; I instantly recognized her. 'Friend,' said she to me, 'have

done with this funereal pomp, cease these useless tears. I have tasted a

thousand delights in the Elysian fields, conversing with those who are saints

like myself. Let the king's despair remain for some time unchecked, it

gratifies me.'” Scarcely had he spoken, when every one shouted: “A

miracle! a miracle!” The stag, instead of being punished, received a

handsome gift. Do hut entertain a king with dreams, flatter him, and tell

him a few pleasant fantastic lies: whatever his indignation against you may

be, he will swallow the bait, and make you his dearest friend.

FABLBS,

Jean de La Fontaine, 1621-1695

If you want to tell lies

that will be believed,

don't tell the truth

that won't.

Emperor Tokugawa

Ieyasu of Japan,

seventeenth century

pie of his alchemic skill. His sumptuous palace, his opulent garments,

the clink of gold in his hands, all these provided a superior argument to

anything rational. And these established the cycle that kept him going: His

obvious wealth confirmed his reputation as an alchemist, so that patrons

like the Duke of Mantua gave him money, which allowed him to live in

wealth, which reinforced his reputation as an alchemist, and so on. Only

once this reputation was established, and dukes and senators were fighting

over him, did he resort to the trilling necessity of a demonstration. By then,

however, people were easy to deceive: They wanted to believe. The

Venetian senators who watched him multiply gold wanted to believe so

badly that they failed to notice the glass pipe up his sleeve, from which he

slipped gold dust into his pinches of minerals. Brilliant and capricious, he

was the alchemist of their fantasiesand once he had created an aura like diis,

no one noticed his simple deceptions.

Such is the power of the fantasies that take root in us, especially in

times of scarcity and decline. People rarely believe diat their problems arise

from their own misdeeds and stupidity. Someone or something out there is

to blamethe other, the world, the godsand so salvation comes from the

outside as well. Had Bragadino arrived in Venice armed with a detailed

analysis of the reasons behind the city's economic decline, and of the hard-

nosed steps that it could take to turn things around, he would have been

scorned. The reality was too ugly and the solution too painful mosdy die

kind of hard work that the citizens' ancestors had mustered to create an

empire. Fantasy, on die other handin this case the romance of alchemywas

easy to understand and infinitely more palatable.

To gain power, you must be a source of pleasure for those around

youand pleasure comes from playing to people's fantasies. Never promise a

gradual improvement through hard work; rather, promise the moon, the

great and sudden transformation, the pot of gold.

No man need despair of gaining converts to the most extravagant

hypothesis who has art enough to represent it in favorable colors.

David Hume, 1711-1776

KEYS TO POWER

Fantasy can never operate alone. It requires the backdrop of the

humdrum and the mundane. It is the oppressiveness of reality that allows

fantasy to take root and bloom. In sixteenth-century Venice, the reality was

one of decline and loss of prestige. The corresponding fantasy described a

sudden recovery of past glories through the miracle of alchemy. While the

reality only got worse, die Venetians inhabited a happy dream world in

which dieir city restored its fabulous wealth and power overnight, turning

dust into gold.

The person who can spin a fantasy out of an oppressive reality has

access to untold power. As you search for the fantasy that will take hold of

the

masses, then, keep your eye on the banal truths that weigh heavily on us

all. Never be distracted by people's glamorous portraits of themselves and

their lives; search and dig for what really imprisons diem. Once you find

that, you have the magical key that will put great power in your hands.

Aldiough times and people change, let us examine a few of die

oppressive realities tiiat endure, and the opportunities for power they

provide:

The Reality: Change is slow and gradual. It requires hard work, a bit of

luck, a fair amount of self-sacrifice, and a lot ofpatience.

The Fantasy: A sudden transformation will bring a total change in one's

fortunes, bypassing work, luck, self-sacrifice, and time in one fantastic

stroke.

This is of course die fantasy par excellence of the charlatans who prowl

among us to this day, and was die key to Bragadino's success. Promise a

great and total changefrom poor to rich, sickness to healdi, misery to

ecstasyand you will have followers.

How did the great sixteenth-century German quack Leonhard

Thumeisser become the court physician for the Elector of Brandenburg

witiiout ever studying medicine Instead of offering amputations, leeches,

and foul-tasting purgatives (the medicaments of the time), Thumeisser

offered sweet-tasting elixirs and promised instant recovery. Fashionable

courtiers especially wanted his solution of “drinkable gold,” which cost a

fortune. If some inexplicable illness assailed you, Thumeisser would

consult a horoscope and prescribe a talisman. Who could resist such a

fantasyhealth and well-being without sacrifice and pain!

The Reality: The social realm has hard-set codes and boundaries. We

understand these limits and know that we have to move within the same

familiar circles, day in and day out.

The Fantasy: We can enter a totally new world with different codes and

the promise of adventure.

In the early 1700s, all London was abuzz with talk of a mysterious

stranger, a young man named George Psalmanazar. He had arrived from

what was to most Englishmen a fantastical land: the island of Formosa

(now Taiwan), off the coast of China. Oxford University engaged

Psalmanazar to teach die island's language; a few years later he translated

the Bible into Formosan, then wrote a bookan immediate best-selleron

Formosa's history and geography. English royalty wined and dined die

young man, and everywhere he went he entertained his hosts widi

wondrous stories of his homeland, and its bizarre customs.

After Psalmanazar died, however, his will revealed diat he was in fact

merely a Frenchman widi a rich imagination. Everything he had said about

Formosaits alphabet, its language, its literature, its entire culturehe had

invented. He had built on die English public's ignorance of die place to

concoct an elaborate story that fulfilled their desire for the exotic and

strange. British culture's rigid control of people's dangerous dreams

gave him the perfect opportunity to exploit their fantasy.

The fantasy of die exotic, of course, can also skirt die sexual. It must not

come too close, diough, for the physical hinders die power of fantasy; it can

be seen, grasped, and then tired ofthe fate of most courtesans. The bodily

charms of die mistress only whet the master's appetite for more and

different pleasures, a new beauty to adore. To bring power, fantasy must

remain to some degree unrealized, literally unreal. The dancer Mata Hari,

for instance, who rose to public prominence in Paris before World War I,

had quite ordinary looks. Her power came from the fantasy she created of

being strange'and exotic, unknowable and indecipherable. The taboo she

worked with was less sex itself than the breaking of social codes.

Anodier form of die fantasy of the exotic is simply die hope for relief

from boredom. Con artists love to play on die oppressiveness of the

working world, its lack of adventure. Their cons might involve, say, die

recovery of lost Spanish treasure, with the possible participation of an

alluring Mexican senorita and a connection to the president of a South

American countryanydiing offering release from the humdrum.

The Reality: Society is fragmented and full of conflict.

The Fantasy: People can come together in a mystical union of souls.

In the 1920s the con man Oscar Hartzell made a quick fortune out of the

age-old Sir Francis Drake swindlebasically promising any sucker who

happened to be surnamed “Drake” a substantial share of the long-lost

“Drake treasure,” to which Hartzell had access. Thousands across the

Midwest fell for the scam, which Hartzell cleverly turned into a crusade

against the government and everyone else who was trying to keep the Drake

fortune out of the rightful hands of its heirs. There developed a mystical

union of the oppressed Drakes, with emotional rallies and meetings.

Promise such a union and you can gain much power, but it is a dangerous

power diat can easily turn against you. This is a fantasy for demagogues to

play on.

The Reality: Death. The dead cannot be brought back, the past cannot

be changed. The Fantasy: A sudden reversal of this intolerable fact.

This con has many variations, but requires great skill and subdety.

The beauty and importance of die art of Vermeer have long been

recognized, but his paintings are small in number, and are extremely rare. In

die 1930s, though, Vermeers began to appear on the art market. Experts

were called on to verify diem, and pronounced diem real. Possession of

these new Vermeers would crown a collector's career. It was like die

resurrection of Lazarus: In a strange way, Vermeer had been brought back

to life. The past had been changed.

Only later did it come out that die new Vermeers were the work of a

middle-aged Dutch forger named Han van Meegeren. And he had chosen

Vermeer for his scam because he understood fantasy: The paintings

would seem real precisely because the public, and the experts as well, so

desperately wanted to believe they were.

Remember: The key to fantasy is distance. The distant has allure and

promise, seems simple and problem free. What you are offering, then,

should be ungraspable. Never let it become oppressively familiar; it is the

mirage in the distance, withdrawing as die sucker approaches. Never be too

direct in describing the fantasykeep it vague. As a forger of fantasies, let

your victim come close enough to see and be tempted, but keep him far

away enough that he stays dreaming and desiring.

Image: The Moon. Unattainable, always changing shape, disappearing

and reappearing. We look at it, imagine, wonder, and pinenever familiar,

continuous provoker of dreams. Do not offer the obvious. Promise the

moon.

Authority: A lie is an allurement, a fabrication, that can be embellished

into a fantasy. It can be clothed in the raiments of a mystic conception.

Truth is cold, sober fact, not so comfortable to absorb. A lie is more

palatable. The most detested person in the world is the one who always tells

the truth, who never romances. . . . I found it far more interesting and

profitable to romance than to tell the truth. (Joseph Weil, a.k.a. “The Yellow

Kid,” 1875-1976)

REVERSAL

If there is power in tapping into the fantasies of the masses, there is also

danger. Fantasy usually contains an element of playdie public half realizes

it is being duped, but it keeps die dream alive anyway, relishing the

entertainment and the temporary diversion from the everyday mat you are

providing. So keep it lightnever come too close to the place where you are

actually expected to produce results. That place may prove extremely

hazardous.

After Bragadino established himself in Munich, he found that the sober-

minded Bavarians had far less faith in alchemy than the temperamental

Venetians. Only the duke really believed in it, for he needed it desperately

to rescue him from die hopeless mess he was in. As Bragadino played his

familiar waiting game, accepting gifts and expecting patience, the public

grew angry. Money was being spent and was yielding no results. In 1592

the Bavarians demanded justice, and eventually Bragadino found himself

swinging from the gallows. As before, he had promised and had not

delivered, but this time he had misjudged the forbearance of his hosts, and

his inability to fulfill tiieir fantasy proved fatal.

One last tiling: Never make the mistake of imagining that fantasy is

always fantastical. It certainly contrasts with reality, but reality itself is

sometimes so theatrical and stylized that fantasy becomes a desire for

simple things. The image Abraham Lincoln created of himself, for example,

as a homespun country lawyer with a beard, made him the common man's

president.

P. T. Barnum created a successful act with Tom Thumb, a dwarf who

dressed up as famous leaders of the past, such as Napoleon, and lampooned

them wickedly. The show delighted everyone, right up to Queen Victoria,

by appealing to the fantasy of the time: Enough of the vainglorious rulers of

history, the common man knows best. Tom Thumb reversed the familiar

pattern of fantasy in which the strange and unknown becomes the ideal. But

the act still obeyed the Law, for underlying it was the fantasy that the

simple man is without problems, and is happier than the powerful and the

rich.

Both Lincoln and Tom Thumb played the commoner but carefully

maintained their distance. Should you play with such a fantasy, you too

must carefully cultivate distance and not allow your “common” persona to

become too familiar or it will not project as fantasy.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 33

DISCOVER EACH MAN'S THUMBSCREW

JUDGMENT

Everyone has a weakness, a gap in the castle wall. That weakness is

usually an insecurity, an uncontrollable emotion or need; it can also be a

small secret pleasure. Either way, once found, it is a thumbscrew you can

turn to your advantage.

Till', I.ION. IIIK CHAMOIS. AND IT IK FOX

A lion was chasing a chamois along a valley. He had all but caught it,

and with longing eyes was anticipating a certain and a satisfying repast. It

seemed as if it were utterly impossible for the victim to escape; for a deep

ravine appeared to bar the way for both the hunter and the hunted. But the

nimble chamois, gathering together all its strength, shot like an arrow from

a bow across the chasm, and stood still on the rocky cliff on the other side.

Our lion pulled up short. But at that moment a friend of his happened to be

near at hand. That friend was the fox. “What!” said he, “with your strength

and agility, is it possible that you will yield to a feeble chamois You have

only to will, and you will be able to work wonders. Though the abyss be

deep, yet, if you are only in earnest, I am certain you will clear it. Surely

you can confide in my disinterested friendship. I would not expose your life

to danger if I were not so well aware of your strength and dexterity. ” The

lion's blood waxed hot, and began to boil in his veins. He flung himself

with all his might into space. But he could not clear the chasm; so down he

tumbled headlong, and was killed by the fall.

FINDING THE THUMBSCREW: A Strategic Plan of Action We all

have resistances. We live with a perpetual armor around ourselves to defend

against change and the intrusive actions of friends and rivals. We would like

nothing more than to be left to do tilings our own way. Constantly butting

up against these resistances will cost you a lot of energy. One of die most

important things to realize about people, though, is that diey all have a

weakness, some part of their psychological armor that will not resist, that

will bend to your will if you find it and push on it. Some people wear their

weaknesses openly, otiiers disguise diem. Those who disguise them are

often die ones most effectively undone through that one chink in their

armor.

In planning your assault, keep these principles in mind:

Pay Attention to Gestures and Unconscious Signals. As Sigmund Freud

remarked, “No mortal can keep a secret. If his lips are silent, he chatters

with his fingertips; betrayal oozes out of him at every pore.” This is a

critical concept in the search for a person's weaknessit is revealed by

seemingly unimportant gestures and passing words.

The key is not only what you look for but where and how you look.

Everyday conversation supplies the richest mine of weaknesses, so train

yourself to listen. Start by always seeming interestedthe appearance of a

sympathetic ear will spur anyone to talk. A clever trick, often used by the

nineteenth-century French statesman Talleyrand, is to appear to open up to

the other person, to share a secret with diem. It can be completely made up,

or it can be real but of no great importance to youthe important thing is that

it should seem to come from the heart. This will usually elicit a response

that is not only as frank as yours but more genuinea response that reveals a

weakness.

If you suspect that someone has a particular soft spot, probe for it

indirectly. If, for instance, you sense diat a man has a need to be loved,

openly flatter him. If he laps up your compliments, no matter how obvious,

you are on die right track. Train your eye for detailshow someone tips a

waiter, what delights a person, die hidden messages in clothes. Find

people's idols, die things they worship and will do anything to getperhaps

you can be die supplier of tiieir fantasies. Remember: Since we all try to

hide our weaknesses, there is little to be learned from our conscious

behavior. What oozes out in the littie things outside our conscious control is

what you want to know.

Find the Helpless Child. Most weaknesses begin in childhood, before

die self builds up compensatory defenses. Perhaps the child was pampered

or indulged in a particular area, or perhaps a certain emotional need went

unfulfilled; as he or she grows older, the indulgence or the deficiency may

be buried but never disappears. Knowing about a childhood need gives you

a powerful key to a person's weakness.

One sign of this weakness is that when you touch on it the person will

often act like a child. Be on the lookout, then, for any behavior tiiat should

have been outgrown. If your victims or rivals went without something

important, such as parental support, when they were children, supply it, or

its facsimile. If they reveal a secret taste, a hidden indulgence, indulge it. In

either case they will be unable to resist you.

Look for Contrasts. An overt trait often conceals its opposite. People

who thump their chests are often big cowards; a prudish exterior may hide a

lascivious soul; the uptight are often screaming for adventure; the shy are

dying for attention. By probing beyond appearances, you will often find

people's weaknesses in the opposite of the qualities they reveal to you.

Find the Weak Link. Sometimes in your search for weaknesses it is not

what but who that matters. In today's versions of the court, there is often

someone behind the scenes who has a great deal of power, a tremendous

influence over the person superficially on top. These behind-the-scenes

powerbrokers are die group's weak link: Win their favor and you indirectly

influence the king. Alternatively, even in a group of people acting with the

appearance of one willas when a group under attack closes ranks to resist an

outsiderthere is always a weak link in the chain. Find die one person who

will bend under pressure.

Fill the Void. The two main emotional voids to fill are insecurity and

un-happiness. The insecure are suckers for any kind of social validation; as

for the chronically unhappy, look for die roots of their unhappiness. The

insecure and the unhappy are the people least able to disguise dieir

weaknesses. The ability to fill dieir emotional voids is a great source of

power, and an indefinitely prolongable one.

Feed on Uncontrollable Emotions. The uncontrollable emotion can be a

paranoid feara fear disproportionate to the situationor any base motive such

as lust, greed, vanity, or hatred. People in the grip of these emotions often

cannot control diemselves, and you can do the controlling for them.

OBSERVANCES OF THE LAW

Observance I

In 1615 the thirty-year-old bishop of Lucon, later known as Cardinal

Richelieu, gave a speech before representatives of die three estates of

France clergy, nobility, and commoners. Richelieu had been chosen to serve

as the moudipiece for the clergyan immense responsibility for a man still

young and not particularly well known. On all of the important issues of the

day, the speech followed the Church line. But near the end of it Richelieu

did something that had nodiing to do with the Church and everything to do

with his career. He turned to die throne of the fifteen-year-old King Louis

XIII, and to die Queen Modier Marie de' Medicis, who sat beside

Then what did his dear friend do He cautiously made his way down to

the bottom of the ravine, and there, out in the open space and the free air,

seeing that the lion wanted neither flattery nor obedience now, he set to

work to pay the last sad rites to his dead friend, and in a month picked his

bones clean.

FABLES,

Ivan Kriloff, 1768-1844

IRVING l.AZAK

[Hollywood super-agent] Irving Paul Lazar was once anxious to sell

[studio mogul] Jack L. Warner a play. “I had a long meeting with him

today,” Lazar explained [to screenwriter Garson Kanin], “but I didn 't

mention it, I didn't even bring it up.”

“Why not ” I asked. “Because I'm going to wait until the weekend after

next, when I go to Palm Springs.” “I don't understand.” “You don't I go to

Palm Springs every weekend, but Warner isn 't going this weekend. He's got

a preview or something. So he's not coming down till the next weekend, so

that's when I'm going to bring it up.” "Irving, I'm more and

LAW 33 273

more confused.“ ”Look,1' said Irving impatiently, “I know what I'm

doing. I know how to sell Warner. This is a type of material that he's uneasy

with, so I have to hit him with it hard and suddenly to get an okay.” “But

why Palm Springs” “Because in Palm Springs, every day he goes to the

baths at The Spa. And that's where I'm going to be when he's there. Now

there's a thing about Jack: He's eighty and he's very vain, and he doesn't like

people to see him naked. So when I walk up to him naked at The Spa /

mean he's nakedwell, I'm naked too, but I don't care who sees me. He does.

And I walk up to him naked, and I start to talk to him about this thing, he 'II

be very embarrassed. And he'll want to get away from me, and the easiest

way is to say ' Yes,' because he knows if he says 'No,' then I'm going to

stick with him, and stay right on it, and not give up. So to get rid of me,

he'll probably say, 'Yes.'” Two weeks later, I read of the acquisition of this

particular property by Warner Brothers. I phoned Lazarand asked how it

had been accomplished. “How do you think” he asked. “In the buff, that's

how ... just the way I told you it was going to work.”

hollywood,

Garson Kanin,

Louis, as the regent ruling France until her son reached his majority.

Everyone expected Richelieu to say the usual kind words to the young king.

Instead, however, he looked directly at and only at the queen mother. Indeed

his speech ended in long and fulsome praise of her, praise so glowing that it

actually offended some in the Church. But the smile on the queen's face as

she lapped up Richelieu's compliments was unforgettable.

A year later the queen mother appointed Richelieu secretary of state for

foreign affairs, an incredible coup for the young bishop. He had now

entered the inner circle of power, and he studied the workings of the court

as if it were the machinery of a watch. An Italian, Concino Concini, was the

queen mother's favorite, or rather her lover, a role that made him perhaps

the most powerful man in France. Concini was vain and foppish, and

Richelieu played him perfectlyattending to him as if he were the king.

Within months Richelieu had become one of Concini's favorites. But

something happened in 1617 that turned everything upside down: the young

king, who up until then had shown every sign of being an idiot, had Concini

murdered and his most important associates imprisoned. In so doing Louis

took command of the country with one blow, sweeping the queen mother

aside.

Had Richelieu played it wrong He had been close to both Concini and

Marie de Medicis, whose advisers and ministers were now all out of favor,

some even arrested. The queen mother herself was shut up in the Louvre, a

virtual prisoner. Richelieu wasted no time. If everyone was deserting Marie

de Medicis, he would stand by her. He knew Louis could not get rid of her,

for the king was still very young, and had in any case always been

inordinately attached to her. As Marie's only remaining powerful friend,

Richelieu filled the valuable function of liaison between the king and his

mother. In return he received her protection, and was able to survive the

palace coup, even to thrive. Over the next few years the queen mother grew

still more dependent on him, and in 1622 she repaid him for his loyalty:

Through the intercession of her allies in Rome, Richelieu was elevated to

the powerful rank of cardinal.

By 1623 King Louis was in trouble. He had no one he could trust to

advise him, and although he was now a young man instead of a boy, he

remained childish in spirit, and affairs of state came hard to him. Now that

he had taken the throne, Marie was no longer the regent and theoretically

had no power, but she still had her son's ear, and she kept telling him that

Richelieu was his only possible savior. At first Louis would have none of

ithe hated the cardinal with a passion, only tolerating him out of love for

Marie. In the end, however, isolated in the court and crippled by his own

indecisiveness, he yielded to his mother and made Richelieu first his chief

councilor and later prime minister.

Now Richelieu no longer needed Marie de Medicis. He stopped visiting

and courting her, stopped listening to her opinions, even argued with her

and opposed her wishes. Instead he concentrated on the king, making

himself indispensable to his new master. All the previous premiers,

understanding the king's childishness, had tried to keep him out of trouble;

the

shrewd Richelieu played him differendy, deliberately pushing him into

one ambitious project after another, such as a crusade against the Huguenots

and finally an extended war with Spain. The immensity of these projects

only made the king more dependent on his powerful premier, the only man

able to keep order in the realm. And so, for the next eighteen years,

Richelieu, exploiting the king's weaknesses, governed and molded France

according to his own vision, unifying the country and making it a strong

European power for centuries to come. Interpretation

Richelieu saw everything as a military campaign, and no strategic move

was more important to him than discovering his enemy's weaknesses and

applying pressure to them. As early as his speech in 1615, he was looking

for the weak link in die chain of power, and he saw that it was die queen

mother. Not that Marie was obviously weakshe governed both France and

her son; but Richelieu saw that she was really an insecure woman who

needed constant masculine attention. He showered her with affection and

respect, even toadying up to her favorite, Concini. He knew the day would

come when the king would take over, but he also recognized that Louis

loved his mother dearly and would always remain a child in relation to her.

The way to control Louis, then, was not by gaining his favor, which could

change overnight, but by gaining sway over his motiier, for whom his

affection would never change.

Once Richelieu had the position he desiredprime ministerhe discarded

die queen mother, moving on to die next weak link in the chain: the king's

own character. There was a part of him diat would always be a helpless

child in need of higher authority. It was on the foundation of the king's

weakness that Richelieu established his own power and fame.

Remember: When entering the court, find the weak link. The person in

control is often not the king or queen; it is someone behind the scenes the

favorite, the husband or wife, even flie court fool. This person may have

more weaknesses than the king himself, because his power depends on all

kinds of capricious factors outside his control.

Finally, when dealing with helpless children who cannot make

decisions, play on their weakness and push them into bold ventures. They

will have to depend on you even more, for you will become the adult figure

whom they rely on to get them out of scrapes and to safety.

Observance II

In December of 1925, guests at the swankiest hotel in Palm Beach,

Florida, watched with interest as a mysterious man arrived in a Rolls-Royce

driven by a Japanese chauffeur. Over the next few days they studied this

handsome man, who walked widi an elegant cane, received telegrams at all

hours, and only engaged in the briefest of conversations. He was a count,

they heard, Count Victor Lustig, and he came from one of the wealthiest

families in Europebut this was all they could find out.

Imagine their amazement, dien, when Lustig one day walked up to one

of the least distinguished guests in the hotel, a Mr. Herman Loller,

As time went on I came to look for the little weaknesses.... It's the little

things that count. On one occasion, I worked on the president of a large

bank in Omaha. The [phony] deal involved the purchase of the street

railway system of Omaha, including a bridge across the Mississippi River

My principals were supposedly German and I had to negotiate with Berlin.

While awaiting word from them I introduced my fake mining-stock

proposition. Since this man was rich, I decided to play for high stakes....

Meanwhile, I played golf with the banker, visited his home, and went to the

theater with him and his wife. Though he showed some interest in my stock

deal, he still wasn 't convinced. I had built it up to the point that an

investment of $1,250,000 was required. Of this I was to put up $900,000,

the banker $350,000. But still he hesitated. One evening when 1 was at his

home for dinner I wore some perfumeCoty's “April Violets.” It was not then

considered effeminate for a man to use a dash of perfume. The banker's

wife thought it very lovely. “Where did you get it ” “It is a rare blend,” I

told her, "especially made for me by a

French perfumer. Do you like it“ ”I love it,“ she replied. The following

day I went through my effects and found two empty bottles. Both had come

from France, but were empty. I went to a downtown department store and

purchased ten ounces of Coty's ”April Violets.“ I poured this into the two

French bottles, carefully sealed them, wrapped them in tissue paper. That

evening 1 dropped by the banker's home and presented the two bottles to his

wife. ”They were especially put up for me in Cologne, “ / told her. The next

day the banker called at my hotel. His wife was enraptured by the perfume.

She considered it the most wonderful, the most exotic fragrance she had

ever used. I did not tell the banker he could get all he wanted right in

Omaha. ”She said,“ the banker added, ”that I was fortunate to be associated

with a man like you." From then on his attitude was changed, for he had

complete faith in his wife's judgment. ... He parted with $350,000. This,

incidentally was my biggest [con] score.

“YELLOW KID” WEIL,

1875-1976

head of an engineering company, and entered into conversation with

him. Loller had made his fortune only recendy, and forging social

connections was very important to him. He felt honored and somewhat

mtimidated by this sophisticated man, who spoke perfect English with a

hint of a foreign accent. Over die days to come, the two became friends.

Loller of course did most of the talking, and one night he confessed that

his business was doing poorly, with more troubles ahead. In return, Lustig

confided in his new friend that he too had serious money

problemsCommunists had seized his family estate and all its assets. He was

too old to learn a trade and go to work. Luckily he had found an answer“a

money-making machine.” “You counterfeit” Loller whispered in half-shock.

No, Lustig replied, explaining that through a secret chemical process, his

machine could duplicate any paper currency with complete accuracy. Put in

a dollar bill and six hours later you had two, both perfect. He proceeded to

explain how the machine had been smuggled out of Europe, how die

Germans had developed it to undermine the British, how it had supported

the count for several years, and on and on. When Loller insisted on a

demonstration, the two men went to Lustig's room, where the count

produced a magnificent mahogany box fitted witii slots, cranks, and dials.

Loller watched as Lustig inserted a dollar bill in die box. Sure enough, early

die following morning Lustig pulled out two bills, still wet from die

chemicals.

Lustig gave the notes to Loller, who immediately took the bills to a

local bankwhich accepted them as genuine. Now the businessman

feverishly begged Lustig to sell him a machine. The count explained diat

there was only one in existence, so Loller made him a high offer: $25,000,

then a considerable amount (more than $400,000 in today's terms). Even so,

Lustig seemed reluctant: He did not feel right about making his friend pay

so much. Yet finally he agreed to the sale. After all, he said, “I suppose it

matters little what you pay me. You are, after all, going to recover the

amount within a few days by duplicating your own bills.” Making Loller

swear never to reveal the machine's existence to odier people, Lustig

accepted the money. Later the same day he checked out of the hotel. A year

later, after many futile attempts at duplicating bills, Loller finally went to

the police with the story of how Count Lustig had conned him with a pair of

dollar bills, some chemicals, and a worthless mahogany box. Interpretation

Count Lustig had an eagle eye for other people's weaknesses. He saw

them in die smallest gesture. Loller, for instance, overtipped waiters,

seemed nervous in conversation with the concierge, talked loudly about his

business. His weakness, Lustig knew, was his need for social validation and

for die respect that he thought his wealth had earned him. He was also

chronically insecure. Lustig had come to the hotel to hunt for prey. In Loller

he homed in on the perfect suckera man hungering for someone to fill his

psychic voids.

In offering Loller his friendship, then, Lustig knew he was offering him

the immediate respect of the other guests. As a count, Lustig was also offer-

ing the newly rich businessman access to the glittering world of old

wealth. And for the coup de grace, he apparendy owned a machine mat

would rescue Loller from his worries. It would even put him on a par with

Lustig himself, who had also used the machine to maintain his status. No

wonder Loller took the bait.

Remember: When searching for suckers, always look for the

dissatisfied, me unhappy, the insecure. Such people are riddled with

weaknesses and have needs mat you can fill. Their neediness is the groove

in which you place your thumbnail and turn diem at will.

Observance III

In the year 1559, the French king Henri II died in a jousting exhibition.

His son assumed the throne, becoming Francis II, but in the background

stood Henri's wife and queen, Catherine de' Medicis, a woman who had

long ago proven her skill in affairs of state. When Francis died the next

year, Catherine took control of the country as regent to her next son in line

of succession, the future Charles IX, a mere ten years old at the time.

The main threats to the queen's power were Antoine de Bourbon, king

of Navarre, and his brother, Louis, die powerful prince of Conde, bom of

whom could claim the right to serve as regent instead of Catherine, who,

after all, was Italiana foreigner. Catherine quickly appointed Antoine

lieutenant general of the kingdom, a title that seemed to satisfy his

ambition. It also meant that he had to remain in court, where Catherine

could keep an eye on him. Her next move proved smarter still: Antoine had

a notorious weakness for young women, so she assigned one of her most

attractive maids of honor, Louise de Rouet, to seduce him. Now Antoine's

intimate, Louise reported all of his actions to Catherine. The move worked

so brilliantly that Catiierine assigned another of her maids to Prince Conde,

and thus was formed her escadron volant “flying squadron”of young girls

whom she used to keep the unsuspecting males in the court under her

control.

In 1572 Catherine married off her daughter, Marguerite de Valois, to

Henri, the son of Antoine and the new king of Navarre. To put a family that

had always struggled against her so close to power was a dangerous move,

so to make sure of Henri's loyalty she unleashed on him the loveliest

member of her “flying squadron,” Charlotte de Beaune Semblancay,

baroness of Sauves. Catherine did this even diough Henri was married to

her daughter. Within weeks, Marguerite de Valois wrote in her memoirs,

“Mme. de Sauves so completely ensnared my husband that we no longer

slept together, nor even conversed.”

The baroness was an excellent spy and helped to keep Henri under

Catherine's thumb. When the queen's youngest son, the Duke of Alencon,

grew so close to Henri that she feared the two might plot against her, she

assigned the baroness to him as well. This most infamous member of the

flying squadron quickly seduced Alencon, and soon the two young men

fought over her and tiieir friendship quickly ended, along with any danger

of a conspiracy.

And while I am on the subject, there is another fact that deserves

mention. It is this. A man shows his character just in the way in which he

deals with triflesfor then he is off his guard. This will often afford a good

opportunity of observing the boundless egoism of a man's nature, and his

total lack of consideration for others; and if these defects show themselves

in small things, or merely in his general demeanour, you will find that they

also underlie his action in matters of importance, although he may disguise

the fact. This is an opportunity which should not be missed. If in the little

affairs of every daythe trifles of life ...a man is inconsiderate and seeks only

what is advantageous or convenient to himself, to the prejudice of others'

rights; if he appropriates to himself that which belongs to all alike, you may

be sure there is no justice in his heart, and that he would be a scoundrel on a

wholesale scale, only that law and compulsion bind his hands.

Arthur

Schopenhauer,

1788-1860

When the two armies [Julius Caesar's and Pompey's] were come into

Pharsalia, and both encamped there, Pompey's thoughts ran the same way as

they had done before, against fighting.... But those who were about him

were greatly confident of success ... as if they had already conquered.... The

cavalry especially were obstinate for fighting, being splendidly armed and

bravely mounted, and valuing themselves upon the fine horses they kept,

and upon their own handsome persons; as also upon the advantage of their

numbers, for they were five thousand against one thousand of Caesar's. Nor

were the numbers of the infantry less disproportionate, there being forty-

five thousand of Pompey's against twenty-two thousand of the enemy. [The

next day! whilst the infantry was thus sharply engaged in the main battle,

on the flank Pompey 's horse rode up confidently, and opened [his cavalry's]

ranks very wide, that they might surround the right wing of Caesar. But

before they engaged, Caesar's cohorts rushed out and attacked them, and did

not dart their javelins at a distance, nor strike at the thighs and legs, as they

usually did in close battle, but aimed at their faces. For thus

Interpretation

Catherine had seen very early on the sway mat a mistress has over a

man of power: Her own husband, Henri II, had kept one of the most

infamous mistresses of them all, Diane de Poitiers. What Catherine learned

from the experience was that a man like her husband wanted to feel he

could win a woman over widiout having to rely on his status, which he had

inherited rather dian earned. And such a need contained a huge blind spot:

As long as die woman began die affair by acting as if she had been

conquered, die man would fail to notice that as time passed the mistress had

come to hold power over him, as Diane de Poitiers did over Henri. It was

Cadierine's strategy to turn this weakness to her advantage, using it as a

way to conquer and control men. All she had to do was unleash the loveliest

women in the court, her “flying squadron,” on men whom she knew shared

her husband's vulnerability.

Remember: Always look for passions and obsessions that cannot be

controlled. The stronger the passion, the more vulnerable die person. This

may seem surprising, for passionate people look strong. In fact, however,

they are simply filling die stage with dieir theatricality, distracting people

from how weak and helpless they really are. A man's need to conquer

women actually reveals a tremendous helplessness that has made suckers

out of them for thousands of years. Look at the part of a person that is most

visibletheir greed, dieir lust, tiieir intense fear. These are the emotions they

cannot conceal, and over which diey have the least control. And what

people cannot control, you can control for diem.

Observance IV

Arabella Huntington, wife of die great late-nineteentii-century railroad

magnate Collis P. Huntington, came from humble origins and always

struggled for social recognition among her wealdiy peers. When she gave a

party in her San Francisco mansion, few of die social elite would show up;

most of diem took her for a gold digger, not their kind. Because of her

husband's fabulous wealdi, art dealers courted her, but widi such

condescension they obviously saw her as an upstart. Only one man of

consequence treated her differentiy: the dealer Joseph Duveen.

For die first few years of Duveen's relationship witii Arabella, he made

no effort to sell expensive art to her. Instead he accompanied her to fine

stores, chatted endlessly about queens and princesses he knew, on and on.

At last, she diought, a man who treated her as an equal, even a superior, in

high society. Meanwhile, if Duveen did not try to sell art to her, he did sub-

tiy educate her in his aesdietic ideasnamely, that die best art was the most

expensive art. And after Arabella had soaked up his way of seeing things,

Duveen would act as if she always had exquisite taste, even tiiough before

she met him her aesdietics had been abysmal.

When Collis Huntington died, in 1900, Arabella came into a fortune.

She suddenly started to buy expensive paintings, by Rembrandt and

Velazquez, for exampleand only from Duveen. Years later Duveen sold her

Gainsborough's Blue Boy for the highest price ever paid for a work of

art at the time, an astounding purchase for a family that previously had

shown litde interest in collecting. Interpretation

Joseph Duveen instantly understood Arabella Huntington and what

made her tick: She wanted to feel important, at home in society. Intensely

insecure about her lower-class background, she needed confirmation of her

new social status. Duveen waited. Instead of rushing into trying to persuade

her to collect art, he subtly went to work on her weaknesses. He made her

feel that she deserved his attention not because she was the wife of one of

the wealthiest men in the world but because of her own special characterand

this completely melted her. Duveen never condescended to Arabella; rather

than lecturing to her, he instilled his ideas in her indirectly. The result was

one of his best and most devoted clients, and also the sale of The Blue Boy.

People's need for validation and recognition, tiieir need to feel

important, is the best kind of weakness to exploit. First, it is almost

universal; second, exploiting it is so very easy. All you have to do is find

ways to make people feel better about their taste, their social standing, meir

intelligence. Once the fish are hooked, you can reel them in again and

again, for yearsyou are filling a positive role, giving them what they cannot

get on their own. They may never suspect that you are turning them like a

thumbscrew, and if they do they may not care, because you are making

them feel better about themselves, and that is worth any price.

Observance V

In 1862 King William of Prussia named Otto von Bismarck premier and

minister for foreign affairs. Bismarck was known for his boldness, his

ambitionand his interest in strengthening die military. Since William was

surrounded by liberals in his government and cabinet, politicians who

already wanted to limit his powers, it was quite dangerous for him to put

Bismarck in this sensitive position. His wife, Queen Augusta, had tried to

dissuade him, but aKhough she usually got her way with him, this time

William stuck to his guns.

Only a week after becoming prime minister, Bismarck made an

impromptu speech to a few dozen ministers to convince them of the need to

enlarge the army. He ended by saying, “The great questions of the time will

be decided, not by speeches and resolutions of majorities, but by iron and

blood.” His speech was immediately disseminated throughout Germany.

The queen screamed at her husband that Bismarck was a barbaric militarist

who was out to usurp control of Prussia, and that William had to fire him.

The liberals in the government agreed with her. The outcry was so

vehement that William began to be afraid he would end up on a scaffold,

like Louis XVI of France, if he kept Bismarck on as prime minister.

Bismarck knew he had to get to the king before it was too late. He also

knew he had blundered, and should have tempered his fiery words. Yet as

he contemplated his strategy, he decided not to apologize but to do the exact

opposite. Bismarck knew the king well.

Caesar had instructed them, in hopes that young gentlemen, who had

not known much of battles and wounds, hut came wearing their hair long, in

the flower of their age and height of their beauty, would be more

apprehensive of such blows, and not care for hazarding both a danger at

present and a blemish for the future.

And so it proved, for they were so far from bearing the stroke of the

javelins, that they could not stand the sight of them, but turned about, and

covered their faces to secure them. Once in disorder, presently they turned

about to fly; and so most shamefully ruined all. For those who had beat

them back at once outflanked the infantry, and falling on their rear, cut them

to pieces. Pompey, who commanded the other wing of the army, when he

saw his cavalry thus broken and flying, was no longer himself nor did he

now remember that he was Pompey the Great, but, like one whom some

god had deprived of his senses, retired to his tent without speaking a word,

and there sat to expect the event, till the whole army was routed.

THE LIFE OF JULIUS CAESAR.

Plutarch, c. a.d. 46-120

When the two men met, William, predictably, had been worked into a

tizzy by the queen. He reiterated his fear of being guillotined. But Bismarck

only replied, “Yes, then we shall be dead! We must die sooner or later, and

could there be a more respectable way of dying I should die fighting for the

cause of my king and master. Your Majesty would die sealing with your

own blood your royal rights granted by God's grace. Whether upon the

scaffold or upon the battlefield makes no difference to the glorious staking

of body and life on behalf of rights granted by God's grace!” On he went,

appealing to William's sense of honor and the majesty of his position as

head of the army. How could the king allow people to push him around

Wasn't the honor of Germany more important than quibbling over words

Not only did the prime minister convince die king to stand up to both his

wife and his parliament, he persuaded him to build up the armyBismarck's

goal all along. Interpretation

Bismarck knew the king felt bullied by those around him. He knew that

William had a military background and a deep sense of honor, and that he

felt ashamed at his cravenness before his wife and his government. William

secredy yearned to be a great and mighty king, but he dared not express this

ambition because he was afraid of ending up like Louis XVI. Where a show

of courage often conceals a man's timidity, William's timidity concealed his

need to show courage and thump his chest.

Bismarck sensed the longing for glory beneatii William's pacifist front,

so he played to the king's insecurity about his manhood, finally pushing him

into diree wars and the creation of a German empire. Timidity is a potent

weakness to exploit. Timid souls often yearn to be their oppositeto be

Napoleons. Yet they lack the inner strength. You, in essence, can become

their Napoleon, pushing them into bold actions that serve your needs while

also making them dependent on you. Remember: Look to the opposites and

never take appearances at face value.

Image: The Thumbscrew. Your enemy has secrets that he guards, thinks

thoughts he will not reveal. But they come out in ways he cannot help. It is

there somewhere, a groove of weakness on his head, at his heart, over his

belly. Once you find the groove, put your thumb in it and turn him at will.

Authority: Find out each man's thumbscrew. Tis the art of setting their

wills in action. It needs more skill than resolution. You must know where to

get at anyone. Every volition has a special motive which varies according to

taste. All men are idolaters, some of fame, odiers of self-interest, most of

pleasure. Skill consists in knowing these idols in order to bring them into

play. Knowing any man's mainspring of motive you have as it were the key

to his will. (Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)

REVERSAL

Playing on people's weakness has one significant danger: You may stir

an action you cannot control.

In your games of power you always look several steps ahead and plan

accordingly. And you exploit the fact that other people are more emotional

and incapable of such foresight. But when you play on their vulnerabilities,

the areas over which they have least control, you can unleash emotions that

will upset your plans. Push timid people into bold action and they may go

too far; answer their need for attention or recognition and they may need

more than you want to give them. The helpless, childish element you are

playing on can turn against you.

The more emotional the weakness, die greater the potential danger.

Know the limits to this game, then, and never get carried away by your

control over your victims. You are after power, not die dirill of control.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 34

BE ROYAL IN YOUR OWN

FASHION: ACT LIKE A

KING TO BE TREATED

LIKE ONE

JUDGMENT

The way you carry yourself will often determine how you are treated: In

the long run, appearing vulgar or common will make people disrespect you.

For a king respects himself and inspires the same sentiment in others. By

acting regally and confident of your powers, you make yourself seem

destined to wear a crown.

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

In July of 1830, a revolution broke out in Paris that forced the king,

Charles X, to abdicate. A commission of the highest audiorities in the land

gathered to choose a successor, and the man they picked was Louis-

Philippe, the Duke of Orleans.

From the beginning it was clear that Louis-Philippe would be a different

kind of king, and not just because he came from a different branch of the

royal family, or because he had not inherited the crown but had been given

it, by a commission, putting his legitimacy in question. Rather it was that he

disliked ceremony and the trappings of royalty; he had more friends among

the bankers than among the nobility; and his style was not to create a new

kind of royal rule, as Napoleon had done, but to downplay his status, the

better to mix widi the businessmen and middle-class folk who had called

him to lead. Thus the symbols that came to be associated with Louis-

Philippe were neither the scepter nor the crown, but the gray hat and

umbrella with which he would proudly walk the streets of Paris, as if he

were a bourgeois out for a stroll. When Louis-Philippe invited James

Rothschild, the most important banker in France, to his palace, he treated

him as an equal. And unlike any king before him, not only did he talk

business with Monsieur Rothschild but that was literally all he talked, for he

loved money and had amassed a huge fortune.

As the reign of the “bourgeois king” plodded on, people came to despise

him. The aristocracy could not endure the sight of an unkingly king, and

within a few years they turned on him. Meanwhile the growing class of the

poor, including the radicals who had chased out Charles X, found no

satisfaction in a ruler who neither acted as a king nor governed as a man of

the people. The bankers to whom Louis-Philippe was die most beholden

soon realized that it was they who controlled the country, not he, and they

treated him with growing contempt. One day, at the start of a train trip

organized for die royal family, James Rothschild actually berated himand in

publicfor being late. Once die king had made news by treating the banker as

an equal; now the banker treated the king as an inferior.

Eventually the workers' insurrections that had brought down Louis-

Philippe's predecessor began to reemerge, and die king put them down with

force. But what was he defending so brutally Not the institution of me

monarchy, which he disdained, nor a democratic republic, which his rule

prevented. What he was really defending, it seemed, was his own fortune,

and die fortunes of the bankersnot a way to inspire loyalty among die

citizenry.

In early 1848, Frenchmen of all classes began to demonstrate for

electoral reforms that would make die country truly democratic. By

February the demonstrations had turned violent. To assuage the populace,

Louis-Philippe fired his prime minister and appointed a liberal as a

replacement. But this created the opposite of the desired effect: The people

sensed they could push the king around. The demonstrations turned into a

full-fledged revolution, with gunfire and barricades in the streets.

Never lose your self-respect, nor be too familiar with yourself when you

are alone. Let your integrity itself be your own standard of rectitude, and be

more indebted to the severity of your own judgment of yourself than to all

external precepts. Desist from unseemly conduct, rather out of respect for

your own virtue than for the strictures of external authority. Come to hold

yourself in awe, and you will have no need of Seneca's imaginary tutor.

Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658

On the night of February 23, a crowd of Parisians surrounded the

palace. With a suddenness that caught everyone by surprise, Louis-Philippe

abdicated that very evening and fled to England. He left no successor, nor

even die suggestion of onehis whole government folded up and dissolved

like a traveling circus leaving town.

Interpretation

Louis-Philippe consciously dissolved the aura that naturally pertains to

kings and leaders. Scoffing at the symbolism of grandeur, he believed a new

world was dawning, where rulers should act and be like ordinary citizens.

He was right: A new world, without kings and queens, was certainly on its

way. He was profoundly wrong, however, in predicting a change in the

dynamics of power.

The bourgeois king's hat and umbrella amused the French at first, but

soon grew irritating. People knew that Louis-Philippe was not really like

them at allthat the hat and umbrella were essentially a kind of trick to

encourage them in the fantasy that the country had suddenly grown more

equal. Actually, though, the divisions of wealth had never been greater. The

French expected their ruler to be a bit of a showman, to have some

presence. Even a radical like Robespierre, who had briefly come to power

during the French Revolution fifty years earlier, had understood this, and

certainly Napoleon, who had turned die revolutionary republic into an

imperial regime, had known it in his bones. Indeed as soon as Louis-

Philippe fled the stage, the French revealed their true desire: They elected

Napoleon's grand-nephew president. He was a virtual unknown, but they

hoped he would re-create die great general's powerful aura, erasing die

awkward memory of die “bourgeois king.”

Powerful people may be tempted to affect a common-man aura, trying

to create the illusion that they and dieir subjects or underlings are basically

die same. But the people whom diis false gesture is intended to impress will

quickly see through it. They understand that they are not being given more

powerthat it only appears as if diey shared in the powerful person's fate.

The only kind of common touch that works is die kind affected by Franklin

Roosevelt, a style that said the president shared values and goals with the

common people even while he remained a patrician at heart. He never

pretended to erase his distance from the crowd.

Leaders who try to dissolve that distance through a false chumminess

gradually lose the ability to inspire loyalty, fear, or love. Instead they elicit

contempt. Like Louis-Philippe, they are too uninspiring even to be worth

the guillotinedie best diey can do is simply vanish in the night, as if diey

were never there.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

When Christopher Columbus was trying to find funding for his

legendary voyages, many around him believed he came from the Italian

aristocracy. This view was passed into history through a biography written

after the explorer's death by his son, which describes him as a descendant of

a Count

Colombo of die Casde of Cuccaro in Montferrat. Colombo in turn was

said to be descended from the legendary Roman general Colonius, and two

of his first cousins were supposedly direct descendants of an emperor of

Constantinople. An illustrious background indeed. But it was nodiing more

than illustrious fantasy, for Columbus was actually the son of Domenico

Colombo, a humble weaver who had opened a wine shop when Christopher

was a young man, and who then made his living by selling cheese.

Columbus himself had created the myth of his noble background,

because from early on he felt that destiny had singled him out for great

things, and that he had a kind of royalty in his blood. Accordingly he acted

as if he were indeed descended from noble stock. After an uneventful career

as a merchant on a commercial vessel, Columbus, originally from Genoa,

settled in Lisbon. Using die fabricated story of his noble background, he

married into an established Lisbon family that had excellent connections

with Portuguese royalty.

Through his in-laws, Columbus finagled a meeting with the king of

Portugal, Joao II, whom he petitioned to finance a westward voyage aimed

at discovering a shorter route to Asia. In return for announcing that any

discoveries he achieved would be made in the king's name, Columbus

wanted a series of rights: the tide Grand Admiral of die Oceanic Sea; die

office of viceroy over any lands he found; and 10 percent of die future

commerce with such lands. All of these rights were to be hereditary and for

all time. Columbus made these demands even diough he had previously

been a mere merchant, he knew almost nothing about navigation, he could

not work a quadrant, and he had never led a group of men. In short he had

absolutely no qualifications for die journey he proposed. Furthermore, his

petition included no details as to how he would accomplish his plans, just

vague promises.

When Columbus finished his pitch, Joao II smiled: He politely declined

the offer, but left the door open for the future. Here Columbus must have

noticed somediing he would never forget: Even as the king turned down die

sailor's demands, he treated them as legitimate. He neither laughed at

Columbus nor questioned his background and credentials. In fact die king

was impressed by die boldness of Columbus's requests, and clearly felt

comfortable in the company of a man who acted so confidently. The

meeting must have convinced Columbus tiiat his instincts were correct: By

asking for the moon, he had instandy raised his own status, for the king

assumed that unless a man who set such a high price on himself were mad,

which Columbus did not appear to be, he must somehow be worth it.

A few years later Columbus moved to Spain. Using his Portuguese

connections, he moved in elevated circles at the Spanish court, receiving

subsidies from illustrious financiers and sharing tables widi dukes and

princes. To all these men he repeated his request for financing for a voyage

to die westand also for the rights he had demanded from Joao II. Some,

such as die powerful duke of Medina, wanted to help, but could not, since

they lacked die power to grant him the tides and rights he wanted. But

Columbus would not back down. He soon realized that only one person

HII'POCLKinKS AT SICYON

In the next generation the family became much more famous than

before through the distinction conferred upon it by Cleisthenes the master

of Sicyon. Cleisthenes . .. had a daughter, Agarista, whom he wished to

marry to the best man in all Greece. So during the Olympic games, in which

he had himself won the chariot race, he had a public announcement made,

to the effect that any Greek who thought himself good enough to become

Cleisthenes' son-in-law should present himself in Sicyon within sixty

daysor sooner if he wishedbecause he intended, within the year following

the sixtieth day, to betroth his daughter to her future husband. Cleisthenes

had had a race-track and a wrestling-ring specially made for his purpose,

and presently the suitors began to arrive every man of Greek nationality

who had something to be proud of either in his country or in himself....

Cleisthenes began by asking each [of the numerous suitorsJ in turn to name

his country and parentage; then he kept them in his house for a year, to get

to know them well, entering into conversation with them sometimes singly,

sometimes all together, and testing each of them for his

manly qualities and temper, education and manners. . .. But the most

important test of all was their behaviour at the dinner-table. All this went on

throughout their stay in Sieyon, and all the time he entertained them

handsomely. For one reason or another it was the two Athenians who

impressed Cleisthenes most favourably, and of the two Tisander's son

Hippocleides came to be preferred. . . At last the day came which had been

fixed for the betrothal, and Cleisthenes had to declare his choice. lie marked

the day by the sacrifice of a hundred oxen, and then gave a great banquet, to

which not only the suitors but everyone of note in Sieyon was invited.

When dinner was over, the suitors began to compete with each other in

music and in talking in company. In both these accomplishments it was

Hippocleides who proved by far the doughtiest champion, until at last, as

more and more wine was drunk, he asked the flute-player to play him a tune

and began to dance to it. Now it may well be that he danced to his own

satisfaction; Cleisthenes, however, who was watching the performance,

began to have serious doubts about the whole business. Presently, after a

brief pause, Hippocleides sent for a table; the table was brought, and

could meet his demands: Queen Isabella. In 1487 he finally managed a

meeting with the queen, and although he could not convince her to finance

me voyage, he completely charmed her, and became a frequent guest in the

palace.

In 1492 the Spanish finally expelled the Moorish invaders who

centuries earlier had seized parts of the country. With the wartime burden

on her treasury lifted, Isabella felt she could finally respond to the demands

of her explorer friend, and she decided to pay for three ships, equipment,

the salaries of the crews, and a modest stipend for Columbus. More

important, she had a contract drawn up that granted Columbus the tides and

rights on which he had insisted. The only one she deniedand only in the

contract's fine printwas the 10 percent of all revenues from any lands

discovered: an absurd demand, since he wanted no time limit on it. (Had the

clause been left in, it would eventually have made Columbus and his heirs

the wealthiest family on the planet. Columbus never read the fine print.)

Satisfied that his demands had been met, Columbus set sail mat same

year in search of the passage to Asia. (Before he left he was careful to hire

the best navigator he could find to help him get there.) The mission failed to

find such a passage, yet when Columbus petitioned the queen to finance an

even more ambitious voyage the following year, she agreed. By then she

had come to see Columbus as destined for great things.

Interpretation

As an explorer Columbus was mediocre at best. He knew less about the

sea man did the average sailor on his ships, could never determine the

latitude and longitude of his discoveries, mistook islands for vast

continents, and treated his crew badly. But in one area he was a genius: He

knew how to sell himself. How else to explain how the son of a cheese

vendor, a low-level sea merchant, managed to ingratiate himself with the

highest royal and aristocratic families

Columbus had an amazing power to charm the nobility, and it all came

from the way he carried himself. He projected a sense of confidence mat

was completely out of proportion to his means. Nor was his confidence the

aggressive, ugly self-promotion of an upstartit was a quiet and calm self-

assurance. In fact it was the same confidence usually shown by the nobility

themselves. The powerful in the old-style aristocracies felt no need to prove

or assert tiiemselves; being noble, tiley knew they always deserved more,

and asked for it. With Columbus, then, diey felt an instant affinity, for he

carried himself just the way they didelevated above die crowd, destined for

greatness.

Understand: It is within your power to set your own price. How you

carry yourself reflects what you think of yourself. If you ask for little,

shuffle your feet and lower your head, people will assume this reflects your

character. But tiiis behavior is not youit is only how you have chosen to

present yourself to other people. You can just as easily present the

Columbus front: buoyancy, confidence, and the feeling that you were born

to wear a crown.

With all great deceivers there is a noteworthy occurrence to which they

owe their

power. In the actual act of deception they are overcome by belief in

themselves: it is

this which then speaks so miraculously and compellingly to those

around them.

Friedrich Nietzsche, 1844-1900

KEYS TO POWER

As children, we start our lives with great exuberance, expecting and

demanding everything from the world. This generally carries over into our

first forays into society, as we begin our careers. But as we grow older the

rebuffs and failures we experience set up boundaries that only get firmer

with time. Coming to expect less from the world, we accept limitations that

are really self-imposed. We start to bow and scrape and apologize for even

the simplest of requests. The solution to such a shrinking of horizons is to

deliberately force ourselves in the opposite directionto downplay the

failures and ignore the limitations, to make ourselves demand and expect as

much as the child. To accomplish this, we must use a particular strategy

upon ourselves. Call it the Strategy of the Crown.

The Strategy of the Crown is based on a simple chain of cause and

effect: If we believe we are destined for great things, our belief will radiate

outward, just as a crown creates an aura around a king. This outward

radiance will infect the people around us, who will think we must have

reasons to feel so confident. People who wear crowns seem to feel no inner

sense of the limits to what they can ask for or what they can accomplish.

This too radiates outward. Limits and boundaries disappear. Use the

Strategy of the Crown and you will be surprised how often it bears fruit.

Take as an example those happy children who ask for whatever they want,

and get it. Their high expectations are their charm. Adults enjoy granting

their wishesjust as Isabella enjoyed granting the wishes of Columbus.

Throughout history, people of undistinguished birththe Theodoras of

Byzantium, the Columbuses, the Beethovens, the Disraelishave managed to

work the Strategy of the Crown, believing so firmly in their own greatness

that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The trick is simple: Be overcome

by your self-belief. Even while you know you are practicing a kind of

deception on yourself, act like a king. You are likely to be treated as one.

The crown may separate you from other people, but it is up to you to

make that separation real: You have to act differently, demonstrating your

distance from those around you. One way to emphasize your difference is to

always act with dignity, no matter the circumstance. Louis-Philippe gave no

sense of being different from other peoplehe was the banker king. And the

moment his subjects threatened him, he caved in. Everyone sensed this and

pounced. Lacking regal dignity and firmness of purpose, Louis-Philippe

seemed an impostor, and the crown was easily toppled from his head.

Regal bearing should not be confused with arrogance. Arrogance may

seem the king's entitlement, but in fact it betrays insecurity. It is the very

opposite of a royal demeanor.

Hippocleides, climbing on to it, danced first some Laeonian dances,

next some Attic ones, and ended by standing on his head and beating time

with his legs in the air. The Laeonian and Attic dances were bad enough;

but Cleisthenes, though he already loathed the thought of having a son-in-

law like that, nevertheless restrained himself and managed to avoid an

outburst; but when he saw Hippocleides beating time with his legs, he could

bear it no longer. “Son of Tisander, ” he cried, “you have danced away your

marriage. ”

the histories, Herodotus, fifth century b.c.

Haile Selassie, ruler of Ethiopia for forty or so years beginning in 1930,

was once a young man named Lij Tafari. He came from a noble family, but

there was no real chance of him coming to power, for he was far down the

line of succession from die king then on the throne, Menelik II.

Nevertheless, from an early age he exhibited a self-confidence and a royal

bearing that surprised everyone around him.

At the age of fourteen, Tafari went to live at the court, where he

immediately impressed Menelik and became his favorite. Tafari's grace

under fire, his patience, and his calm self-assurance fascinated the king. The

other young nobles, arrogant, blustery, and envious, would push this slight,

bookish teenager around. But he never got angrydiat would have been a

sign of insecurity, to which he would not stoop. There were already people

around him who felt he would someday rise to the top, for he acted as if he

were already there.

Years later, in 1936, when the Italian Fascists had taken over Ethiopia

and Tafari, now called Haile Selassie, was in exile, he addressed the League

of Nations to plead his country's case. The Italians in the audience heckled

him with vulgar abuse, but he maintained his dignified pose, as if

completely unaffected. This elevated him while making his opponents look

even uglier. Dignity, in fact, is invariably the mask to assume under difficult

circumstances: It is as if nothing can affect you, and you have all die time in

the world to respond. This is an extremely powerful pose.

A royal demeanor has odier uses. Con artists have long known die value

of an aristocratic front-, it either disarms people and makes them less

suspicious, or else it intimidates them and puts them on the defensiveand as

Count Victor Lustig knew, once you put a sucker on the defensive he is

doomed. The con man Yellow Kid Weil, too, would often assume die

trappings of a man of wealtii, along with die nonchalance diat goes with

them. Alluding to some magical method of making money, he would stand

aloof, like a king, exuding confidence as if he really were fabulously rich.

The suckers would beg to be in on die con, to have a chance at die wealth

diat he so clearly displayed.

Finally, to reinforce die inner psychological tricks involved in

projecting a royal demeanor, diere are outward strategies to help you create

die effect. First, the Columbus Strategy: Always make a bold demand. Set

your price high and do not waver. Second, in a dignified way, go after the

highest person in the building. This immediately puts you on die same plane

as the chief executive you are attacking. It is die David and Goliath

Strategy: By choosing a great opponent, you create the appearance of

greatness.

Third, give a gift of some sort to diose above you. This is the strategy of

those who have a patron: By giving your patron a gift, you are essentially

saying diat die two of you are equal. It is the old con game of giving so diat

you can take. When die Renaissance writer Retro Aretino wanted die Duke

of Mantua as his next patron, he knew diat if he was slavish and

sycophantic, die duke would diink him unworthy; so he approached die

duke with gifts, in this case paintings by the writer's good friend Titian.

Accepting the gifts created a kind of equality between duke and writer:

The duke was put at ease by the feeling that he was dealing with a man of

his own aristocratic stamp. He funded Aretino generously. The gift strategy

is subde and brilliant because you do not beg: You ask for help in a

dignified way mat implies equality between two people, one of whom just

happens to have more money.

Remember: It is up to you to set your own price. Ask for less and that is

just what you will get. Ask for more, however, and you send a signal diat

you are worth a king's ransom. Even those who turn you down respect you

for your confidence, and mat respect will eventually pay off in ways you

cannot imagine.

Image: The Crown. Place it upon your head and you assume a different

posetranquil yet radiating assurance. Never show doubt, never lose your

dignity beneath the crown, or it will not fit. It will seem to be destined for

one more worthy. Do not wait for a coronation; the greatest emperors crown

themselves.

Authority: Everyone should be royal after his own fashion. Let all your

actions, even though they are not those of a king, be, in their own sphere,

worthy of one. Be sublime in your deeds, lofty in your thoughts; and in all

your doings show that you deserve to be a king even though you are not one

in reality. (Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)

REVERSAL

The idea behind the assumption of regal confidence is to set yourself

apart from omer people, but if you take this too far it will be your undoing.

Never make die mistake of thinking diat you elevate yourself by

humiliating people. Also, it is never a good idea to loom too high above the

crowdyou make an easy target. And mere are times when an aristocratic

pose is eminently dangerous.

Charles I, king of England during the 1640s, faced a profound public

disenchantment with the institution of monarchy. Revolts erupted

throughout the country, led by Oliver Cromwell. Had Charles reacted to the

times with insight, supporting reforms and making a show of sacrificing

some of his power, history might have been different. Instead he reverted to

an even more regal pose, seeming outraged by the assault on his power and

on the divine institution of monarchy. His stiff kingliness offended people

and spurred on their revolts. And eventually Charles lost his head, literally.

Understand: You are radiating confidence, not arrogance or disdain.

Finally, it is true that you can sometimes find some power through

affecting a kind of earmy vulgarity, which will prove amusing by its

extremeness. But to the extent that you win this game by going beyond the

limits, separating yourself from other people by appearing even more vulgar

than diey are, the game is dangerous: There will always be people more

vulgar than you, and you will easily be replaced the following season by

someone younger and worse.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 35

MASTER THE ART OF TIMING

JUDGMENT

Never seem to be in a hurryhurrying betrays a lack of control over

yourself, and over time. Always seem patient, as if you know that

everything will come to you eventually. Become a detective of the right

moment; sniff out the spirit of the times, the trends that will carry you to

power. Learn to stand back when the time is not yet ripe, and to strike

fiercely when it has reached fruition.

SKRTORIl'S'S I.KSSON

Sertorius's strength was now rapidly increasing, for all the tribes

between the Ebro and the Pyrenees came over to his side, and troops came

flocking daily to join him from every quarter. At the same time he was

troubled by the lack of discipline and the overconfidenee of these newly

arrived barbarians, who would shout at him to attack the enemy and had no

patience with his delaying tactics, and he therefore tried to win them over

by argument. But when he saw that they were discontented and persisted in

pressing their demands regardless of the circumstances, he let them have

their way and allowed them to engage the enemy; he hoped that they would

suffer a severe defeat without being completely crushed, and that this would

make them better disposed to obey his orders in future. The event turned

out as he expected and Serto-rius came to their rescue, provided a rallying

point for the fugitives, and led them safely back to his camp. His next step

was to revive their dejected spirits, and so a few days later he summoned a

general assembly. Before it he produced two horses, one of them old and

enfeebled, the other large and lusty and

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

Starting out in life as a nondescript French seminary-school teacher,

Joseph Fouche wandered from town to town for most of the decade of the

1780s, teaching mathematics to young boys. Yet he never completely

committed himself to the church, never took his vows as a priesthe had

bigger plans. Patiently waiting for his chance, he kept his options open. And

when the French Revolution broke out, in 1789, Fouche waited no longer:

He got rid of his cassock, grew his hair long, and became a revolutionary.

For this was the spirit of the times. To miss the boat at this critical moment

could have spelt disaster. Fouche did not miss the boat: Befriending the

revolutionary leader Robespierre, he quickly rose in the rebel ranks. In 1792

the town of Nantes elected Fouche to be its representative to the National

Convention (created that year to frame a new constitution for a French

republic).

When Fouche arrived in Paris to take his seat at the convention, a

violent rift had broken out between die moderates and the radical Jacobins.

Fouche sensed that in the long run neitfier side would emerge victorious.

Power rarely ends up in the hands of those who start a revolution, or even

of tiiose who further it; power sticks to those who bring it to a conclusion.

That was the side Fouche wanted to be on.

His sense of timing was uncanny. He started as a moderate, for

moderates were in the majority. When the time came to decide on whether

or not to execute Louis XVI, however, he saw that the people were

clamoring for the king's head, so he cast the deciding votefor the guillotine.

Now he had become a radical. Yet as tensions came to the boil in Paris, he

foresaw the danger of being too closely associated wim any one faction, so

he accepted a position in die provinces, where he could lie low for a while.

A few months later he was assigned to the post of proconsul in Lyons,

where he oversaw the execution of dozens of aristocrats. At a certain

moment, however, he called a halt to the killings, sensing tiiat die mood of

the country was turningand despite the blood already on his hands, die

citizens of Lyons hailed him as a savior from what had become known as

the Terror.

So far Fouche had played his cards brilliantly, but in 1794 his old friend

Robespierre recalled him to Paris to account for his actions in Lyons.

Robespierre had been the driving force behind the Terror. He had sent heads

on both the right and the left rolling, and Fouche, whom he no longer

trusted, seemed destined to provide the next head. Over the next few weeks,

a tense struggle ensued: While Robespierre railed openly against Fouche,

accusing of him dangerous ambitions and calling for his arrest, the crafty

Fouche worked more indirectiy, quietly gaining support among those who

were beginning to tire of Robespierre's dictatorial control. Fouche was

playing for time. He knew diat the longer he survived, the more disaffected

citizens he could rally against Robespierre. He had to have broad support

before he moved against the powerful leader. He rallied support among both

the moderates and the Jacobins, playing on the widespread fear of

Robespierreeveryone was afraid of being die next to go to die guillotine. It

all came to fruition on July 27: The convention

turned against Robespierre, shouting down his usual lengthy speech. He

was quickly arrested, and a few days later it was Robespierre's head, not

Fouche's, that fell into the basket.

When Fouche returned to the convention after Robespierre's death, he

played his most unexpected move: Having led the conspiracy against

Robespierre, he was expected to sit with the moderates, but lo and behold,

he once again changed sides, joining the radical Jacobins. For perhaps the

first time in his life he aligned himself with the minority. Clearly he sensed

a reaction stirring: He knew mat the moderate faction that had executed

Robespierre, and was now about to take power, would initiate a new round

of the Terror, this time against the radicals. In siding widi the Jacobins,

then, Fouche was sitting with the martyrs of the days to comethe people

who would be considered blameless in the troubles that were on their way.

Taking sides with what was about to become the losing team was a risky

gambit, of course, but Fouche must have calculated he could keep his head

long enough to quietly stir up the populace against the moderates and watch

them fall from power. And indeed, although the moderates did call for his

arrest in December of 1795, and would have sent him to the guillotine, too

much time had passed. The executions had become unpopular with the

people, and Fouche survived the swing of the pendulum one more time.

A new government took over, the Directoire. It was not, however, a

Jacobin government, but a moderate onemore moderate dian the

government that had reimposed the Terror. Fouche, the radical, had kept his

head, but now he had to keep a low profile. He waited patiently on the

sidelines for several years, allowing time to soften any bitter feelings

against him, then he approached the Directoire and convinced them he had

a new passion: intelligence-gathering. He became a paid spy for the

government, excelled at the job, and in 1799 was rewarded by being made

minister of police. Now he was not just empowered but required to extend

his spying to every corner of Francea responsibility that would greatly

reinforce his natural ability to sniff out where die wind was blowing. One of

the first social trends he detected, in fact, came in the person of Napoleon, a

brash young general whose destiny he right away saw was entwined with

the future of France. When Napoleon unleashed a coup d'etat, on November

9, 1799, Fouche pretended to be asleep. Indeed he slept the whole day. For

this indirect assistanceit might have been tiiought his job, after all, to

prevent a military coupNapoleon kept him on as minister of police in the

new regime.

Over the next few years, Napoleon came to rely on Fouche more and

more. He even gave this former revolutionary a tide, duke of Otranto, and

rewarded him with great wealth. By 1808, however, Fouche, always attuned

to the times, sensed that Napoleon was on the downswing. His futile war

with Spain, a country mat posed no threat to France, was a sign that he was

losing a sense of proportion. Never one to be caught on a sinking ship,

Fouche conspired with Talleyrand to bring about Napoleon's downfall. Al-

possessing a flowing tail, which was remarkable for the thickness and

beauty of its hair. By the side of the weak horse stood a tall strong man, and

by the side of the powerful horse a short man of mean physique. At a signal

the strong man seized the tail of his horse and tried with all his strength to

pull it towards him, as if to tear it off while the weak man began to pull the

hairs one by one from the tail of the strong horse. The strong man, after

tugging with all his might to no purpose and causing the spectators a great

deal of amusement in the process, finally gave up the attempt, while the

weak man quickly and with very little trouble stripped his horse's tail

completely bare. Then Sertorius rose to his feet and said, "Now you can see,

my friends and allies, that perseverance is more effective than brute

strength, and that there are many difficulties that cannot be overcome if you

try to do everything at once, but which will yield if you master them little

by little. The truth is that a steady continuous effort is irresistible, for this is

the way in which Time captures and subdues the greatest powers on earth.

Now Time, you should remember, is a good friend and ally to those who

use their intelligence to choose the right moment, but a most dangerous

enemy

to those who rush into action at the wrong one."

life of sertorius,

Plutarch,

c. a.d. 46-120

Mr. Shih had two sons:

one loved learning; the

other war. The first

expounded his moral

teachings at the

admiring court of Ch 'i

and was made a tutor,

while the second talked

strategy at the bellicose

court of Ch 'u and was

made a general. The

impecunious Mr. Meng,

hearing of these

successes, sent his own

two sons out to follow

the example of the

Shih boys. The first

expounded his moral

teachings at the court

ofCh'in, but the King

of Ch'in said: "At

present the states are

quarreling violently

and every prince is

busy arming his troops

to the teeth. If I

followed this prig's

pratings we should

soon be annihilated."

So he had the fellow

castrated. Meanwhile,

the second brother

displayed his military

genius at the court of

Wei. But the King of

Wei said: "Mine is a

weak state. If I relied

on force instead of

diplomacy, we should

soon be wiped out. If,

on the other hand, I let

this fire-eater go, he

will offer his services to

another state and then

though die conspiracy failedTalleyrand was fired; Fouche stayed, but

was kept on a tight leashit publicized a growing discontent with the

emperor, who seemed to be losing control. By 1814 Napoleon's power had

crumbled and allied forces finally conquered him.

The next government was a restoration of the monarchy, in the form of

King Louis XVIII, brother of Louis XVI. Fouche, his nose always sniffing

die air for the next social shift, knew Louis would not last longhe had none

of Napoleon's flair. Fouche once again played his waiting game, lying low,

staying away from the spodight. Sure enough, in February of 1815,

Napoleon escaped from die island of Elba, where he had been imprisoned.

Louis XVIII panicked: His policies had alienated die citizenry, who were

clamoring for Napoleon's return. So Louis turned to the one man who could

maybe have saved his hide, Fouche, the former radical who had sent his

brother, Louis XVI, to die guillotine, but was now one of die most popular

and widely admired politicians in France. Fouche, however, would not side

with a loser: He refused Louis's request for help by pretending that his help

was unnecessaryby swearing that Napoleon would never return to power

(although he knew otherwise). A short time later, of course, Napoleon and

his new citizen army were closing in on Paris.

Seeing his reign about to collapse, feeling that Fouche had betrayed

him, and certain that he did not want this powerful and able man on

Napoleon's team, King Louis ordered die minister's arrest and execution.

On March 16, 1815, policemen surrounded Fouche's coach on a Paris

boulevard. Was this finally his end Perhaps, but not immediately: Fouche

told the police that an ex-member of government could not be arrested on

the street. They fell for the story and allowed him to return home. Later that

day, though, they came to his house and once again declared him under

arrest. Fouche noddedbut would the officers be so kind as allow a

gentieman to wash and to change his clothes before leaving his house for

the last time They gave tiieir permission, Fouche left the room, and the

minutes went by. Fouche did not return. Finally the policemen went into the

next roomwhere they saw a ladder against an open window, leading down

to the garden below.

That day and the next the police combed Paris for Fouche, but by men

Napoleon's cannons were audible in the distance and die king and all the

king's men had to flee the city. As soon as Napoleon entered Paris, Fouche

came out of hiding. He had cheated the executioner once again. Napoleon

greeted his former minister of police and gladly restored him to his old post.

During the 100 days diat Napoleon remained in power, until Waterloo, it

was essentially Fouche who governed France. After Napoleon fell, Louis

XVIII returned to the throne, and like a cat with nine lives, Fouche stayed

on to serve in yet another governmentby tiien his power and influence had

grown so great that not even the king dared challenge him.

Interpretation

In a period of unprecedented turmoil, Joseph Fouche thrived through his

mastery of the art of timing. He teaches us a number of key lessons.

First, it is critical to recognize the spirit of the times. Fouche always

looked two steps ahead, found the wave mat would carry him to power, and

rode it. You must always work with the times, anticipate twists and turns,

and never miss the boat. Sometimes the spirit of the times is obscure:

Recognize it not by what is loudest and most obvious in it, but by what lies

hidden and dormant. Look forward to the Napoleons of the future rather

than holding on to the ruins of the past.

Second, recognizing the prevailing winds does not necessarily mean

running with them. Any potent social movement creates a powerful

reaction, and it is wise to anticipate what that reaction will be, as Fouche

did after the execution of Robespierre. Rather than ride the cresting wave of

the moment, wait for the tide's ebb to carry you back to power. Upon

occasion bet on the reaction that is brewing, and place yourself in the

vanguard of it.

Finally, Fouche had remarkable patience. Without patience as your

sword and shield, your timing will fail and you will inevitably find yourself

a loser. When the times were against Fouche, he did not struggle, get

emotional, or strike out rashly. He kept his cool and maintained a low

profile, patiendy building support among the citizenry, the bulwark in his

next rise to power. Whenever he found himself in the weaker position, he

played for time, which he knew would always be his ally if he was patient.

Recognize the moment, then, to hide in die grass or slither under a rock, as

well as the moment to bare your fangs and attack.

Space we can recover, time never. Napoleon Bonaparte, 1769-1821

KEYS TO POWER

Time is an artificial concept diat we ourselves have created to make the

limidessness of eternity and die universe more bearable, more human. Since

we have constructed the concept of time, we are also able to mold it to

some degree, to play tricks with it. The time of a child is long and slow,

with vast expanses; the time of an adult whizzes by frighteningly fast. Time,

then, depends on perception, which, we know, can be willfully altered. This

is die first thing to understand in mastering the art of timing. If the inner

turmoil caused by our emotions tends to make time move faster, it follows

that once we control our emotional responses to events, time will move

much more slowly. This altered way of dealing witii tilings tends to

lengdien our perception of future time, opens up possibilities that fear and

anger close off, and allows us the patience tiiat is the principal requirement

in the art of timing.

There are three kinds of time for us to deal with; each presents problems

that can be solved with skill and practice. First there is long time: the

drawn-out, years-long kind of time that must be managed with patience and

gentle guidance. Our handling of long time should be mosdy defensivethis

is die art of not reacting impulsively, of waiting for opportunity.

we shall be in trouble." So he had the fellow's feet cut off. Both families

did exactly the same thing, but one timed it right, the other wrong. Thus

success depends on ... rhythm.

LlEH TZU, QUOTED IN THE CHINESE LOOKING GLASS,

Dennis Bloodworth, 1967

The sultan [of Persia] had sentenced two men to death. One of them,

knowing how much the sultan loved his stallion, offered to teach the horse

to fly within a year in return for his life. The sultan, fancying himself as the

rider of the only flying horse in the world, agreed. The other prisoner

looked at his friend in disbelief. “You know horses don 'tfly. What made

you come up with a crazy idea like that You're only postponing the

inevitable.” “Not so,” said the [first prisoner]. “I have actually given myself

four chances for freedom. First, the sultan might die during the year.

Second, I might die. Third, the horse might die. And fourth ... I might teach

the horse to fly!”

the craft of power.

R.G. H. Siu,

A fisherman in the month of May stood angling on the bank of the

Thames with an artificial fly. He threw his bait with so much art, that a

young trout was rushing toward it, when she was prevented by her mother.

“Never, ” said she, “my child, be too precipitate, where there is a possibility

of danger. Take due time to consider, before you risk an action that may be

fatal. How know you whether yon appearance be indeed a fly, or the snare

of an enemy Let someone else make the experiment before you. If it be a

fly, he will very probably elude the first attack: and the second may be

made, if not with success, at least with safety.” She had no sooner spoken,

than a gudgeon seized the pretended fly, and became an example to the

giddy daughter of the importance of her mother's counsel.

FABLES,

Robert Dodsley, 1703-1764

Next there is forced time: the short-term time that we can manipulate as

an offensive weapon, upsetting the timing of our opponents. Finally there is

end time, when a plan must be executed with speed and force. We have

waited, found the moment, and must not hesitate.

Long Time. The famous seventeenth-century Ming painter Chou Yung

relates a story that altered his behavior forever. Late one winter afternoon

he set out to visit a town that lay across die river from his own town. He

was bringing some important books and papers with him and had

commissioned a young boy to help him carry them. As tile ferry neared the

other side of the river, Chou Yung asked the boatman if they would have

time to get to the town before its gates closed, since it was a mile away and

night was approaching. The boatman glanced at the boy, and at the bundle

of loosely tied papers and books“Yes,” he replied, “if you do not walk too

fast.”

As they started out, however, the sun was setting. Afraid of being

locked out of the town at night, prey to local bandits, Chou and the boy

walked faster and faster, finally breaking into a run. Suddenly the string

around the papers broke and the documents scattered on the ground. It took

them many minutes to put the packet together again, and by the time they

had reached the city gates, it was too late.

When you force the pace out of fear and impatience, you create a nest of

problems that require fixing, and you end up taking much longer than if you

had taken your time. Hurriers may occasionally get there quicker, but

papers fly everywhere, new dangers arise, and they find themselves in

constant crisis mode, fixing the problems that they themselves have created.

Sometimes not acting in the face of danger is your best moveyou wait, you

deliberately slow down. As time passes it will eventually present

opportunities you had not imagined.

Waiting involves controlling not only your own emotions but those of

your colleagues, who, mistaking action for power, may try to push you into

making rash moves. In your rivals, on the other hand, you can encourage

this same mistake: If you let them rush headlong into trouble while you

stand back and wait, you will soon find ripe moments to intervene and pick

up the pieces. This wise policy was the principal strategy of the great early-

seventeenth-century emperor Tokugawa Ieyasu of Japan. When his

predecessor, the headstrong Hideyoshi, whom he served as a general, staged

a rash invasion of Korea, Ieyasu did not involve himself. He knew the

invasion would be a disaster and would lead to Hideyoshi's downfall. Better

to stand patientiy on the sidelines, even for many years, and men be in

position to seize power when the time is rightexactly what Ieyasu did, with

great artistry.

You do not deliberately slow time down to live longer, or to take more

pleasure in the moment, but the better to play the game of power. First,

when your mind is uncluttered by constant emergencies you will see further

into the future. Second, you will be able to resist the baits that people

dangle in front of you, and will keep yourself from becoming another

impatient sucker. Third, you will have more room to be flexible.

Opportunities will inevitably arise that you had not expected and would

have missed had you forced the pace. Fourth, you will not move from one

deal to the next without completing die first one. To build your power's

foundation can take years; make sure that foundation is secure. Do not be a

flash in the pansuccess that is built up slowly and surely is the only kind

that lasts.

Finally, slowing time down will give you a perspective on the times you

live in, letting you take a certain distance and putting you in a less

emotionally charged position to see the shapes of things to come. Hurriers

will often mistake surface phenomena for a real trend, seeing only what

they want to see. How much better to see what is really happening, even if

it is unpleasant or makes your task harder.

Forced Time. The trick in forcing time is to upset the timing of othersto

make them hurry, to make diem wait, to make diem abandon their own

pace, to distort dieir perception of time. By upsetting the timing of your

opponent while you stay patient, you open up time for yourself, which is

half the game.

In 1473 the great Turkish sultan Mehmed the Conqueror invited

negotiations with Hungary to end the off-and-on war the two countries had

waged for years. When the Hungarian emissary arrived in Turkey to start

the talks, Turkish officials humbly apologizedMehmed had just left

Istanbul, the capital, to battie his longtime foe, Uzun Hasan. But he urgently

wanted peace with Hungary, and had asked that die emissary join him at the

front.

When the emissary arrived at die site of die fighting, Mehmed had

already left it, moving eastward in pursuit of his swift foe. This happened

several times. Wherever the emissary stopped, the Turks lavished gifts and

banquets on him, in pleasurable but time-consuming ceremonies. Finally

Mehmed defeated Uzun and met witii die emissary. Yet his terms for peace

widi Hungary were excessively harsh. After a few days, the negotiations

ended, and the usual stalemate remained in place. But this was fine widi

Mehmed. In fact he had planned it diat way all along: Plotting his campaign

against Uzun, he had seen tiiat diverting his armies to die east would leave

his western flank vulnerable. To prevent Hungary from taking advantage of

his weakness and his preoccupation elsewhere, he first dangled the lure of

peace before his enemy, dien made them waitall on his own terms.

Making people wait is a powerful way of forcing time, as long as tiiey

do not figure out what you are up to. You control the clock, they linger in

limboand rapidly come unglued, opening up opportunities for you to strike.

The opposite effect is equally powerful: You make your opponents hurry.

Start off your dealings with diem slowly, dien suddenly apply pressure,

making diem feel tiiat everydiing is happening at once. People who lack the

time to think will make mistakesso set their deadlines for them.

This was the technique Machiavelli admired in Cesare Borgia, who,

during negotiations, would suddenly press vehementiy for a decision,

upsetting his opponent's timing and patience. For who would dare make

Cesare wait

Joseph Duveen, the famous art dealer, knew that if he gave an

indecisive buyer like John D. Rockefeller a deadlinethe painting had to

leave the country, another tycoon was interested in itdie client would buy

just in time. Freud noticed that patients who had spent years in

psychoanalysis without improvement would miraculously recover just in

time if he fixed a definite date for the end of the therapy. Jacques Lacan, the

famous French psychoanalyst, used a variation on this tactiche would

sometimes end the customary hour session of therapy after only ten

minutes, without warning. After this happened several times, the patient

would realize that he had better make maximum use of the time, rather than

wasting much of the hour with a lot of talk that meant nothing. The

deadline, then, is a powerful tool. Close off the vistas of indecision and

force people to make up their damn minds or get to the pointnever let them

make you play on their excruciating terms. Never give them time.

Magicians and showmen are experts in forcing time. Houdini could

often wriggle free of handcuffs in minutes, but he would draw the escape

out to an hour, making the audience sweat, as time came to an apparent

standstill. Magicians have always known that the best way to alter our

perception of time is often to slow down the pace. Creating suspense brings

time to a terrifying pause: The slower the magician's hands move, the easier

it is to create the illusion of speed, making people think the rabbit has

appeared instantaneously. The great nineteenth-century magician Jean-

Eugene Robert-Houdin took explicit notice of this effect: “The more slowly

a story is told,” he said, “the shorter it seems.”

Going slower also makes what you are doing more interestingthe

audience yields to your pace, becomes entranced. It is a state in which time

whizzes delightfully by. You must practice such illusions, which share in

the hypnotist's power to alter perceptions of time.

End Time. You can play the game with die utmost artistrywaiting

patiently for the right moment to act, putting your competitors off their

form by messing with their timingbut it won't mean a thing unless you

know how to finish. Do not be one of those people who look like paragons

of patience but are actually just afraid to bring things to a close: Patience is

worthless unless combined with a willingness to fall ruthlessly on your

opponent at the right moment. You can wait as long as necessary for the

conclusion to come, but when it comes it must come quickly. Use speed to

paralyze your opponent, cover up any mistakes you might make, and

impress people with your aura of authority and finality.

With the patience of a snake charmer, you draw the snake out with calm

and steady rhythms. Once the snake is out, though, would you dangle your

foot above its deadly head There is never a good reason to allow the

slightest hitch in your endgame. Your mastery of timing can really only

be judged by how you work with end timehow you quickly change the pace

and bring things to a swift and definitive conclusion.

Image: The Hawk. Patiently and silently it circles the sky, high above,

all-seeing with its powerful eyes. Those below have no awareness that they

are being tracked. Suddenly, when the moment arrives, the hawk swoops

down with a speed that cannot be defended against; before its prey knows

what has happened, the bird's viselike talons have carried it up into the sky.

Authority: There is a tide in the affairs of men, / Which, taken at the

flood, leads on to fortune; / Omitted, all the voyage of their life / Is bound

in shallows and in miseries. {Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare, 1564-

1616)

REVERSAL

There is no power to be gained in letting go of the reins and adapting to

whatever time brings. To some degree you must guide time or you will be

its merciless victim. There is accordingly no reversal to this law.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 36

DISDAIN THINGS YOU CANNOT HAVE: IGNORING THEM IS

THE BEST REVENGE

JUDGMENT

By acknowledging a petty problem you give it existence and credibility.

The more attention you pay an enemy, the stronger you make him; and a

small mistake is often made worse and more visible when you try to fix it.

It is sometimes best to leave things alone. If there is something you want

but cannot have, show contempt for it. The less interest you reveal, the

more superior you seem.

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

The Mexican rebel leader Pancho Villa started out as the chief of a gang

of bandits, but after revolution broke out in Mexico in 1910, he became a

kind of folk herorobbing trains and giving the money to the poor, leading

daring raids, and charming the ladies with romantic escapades. His exploits

fascinated Americanshe seemed a man from another era, part Robin Hood,

part Don Juan. After a few years of bitter fighting, however, General

Carranza emerged as the victor in the Revolution; the defeated Villa and his

troops went back home, to the northern state of Chihuahua. His army

dwindled and he turned to banditry again, damaging his popularity. Finally,

perhaps out of desperation, he began to rail against die United States, die

gringos, whom he blamed for his troubles.

In March of 1916, Pancho Villa raided Columbus, New Mexico.

Rampaging through the town, he and his gang killed seventeen American

soldiers and civilians. President Woodrow Wilson, like many Americans,

had admired Villa; now, however, the bandit needed to be punished.

Wilson's advisers urged him to send troops into Mexico to capture Villa. For

a power as large as the United States, they argued, not to strike back at an

army that had invaded its territory would send the worst kind of signal.

Furthermore, they continued, many Americans saw Wilson as a pacifist, a

principle the public doubted as a response to violence; he needed to prove

his mettle and manliness by ordering the use of force.

The pressure on Wilson was strong, and before the month was out, with

the approval of the Carranza government, he sent an army of ten thousand

soldiers to capture Pancho Villa. The venture was called the Punitive

Expedition, and its leader was the dashing General John J. Pershing, who

had defeated guerrillas in the Philippines and Native Americans in the

American Southwest. Certainly Pershing could find and overpower Pancho

Villa.

The Punitive Expedition became a sensational story, and carloads of

U.S. reporters followed Pershing into action. The campaign, they wrote,

would be a test of American power. The soldiers carried the latest in

weaponry, communicated by radio, and were supported by reconnaissance

from the air.

In the first few months, the troops split up into small units to comb the

wilds of northern Mexico. The Americans offered a $50,000 reward for

information leading to Villa's capture. But the Mexican people, who had

been disillusioned with Villa when he had returned to banditry, now

idolized him for facing mis mighty American army. They began to give

Pershing false leads: Villa had been seen in this village, or in that mountain

hideaway, airplanes would be dispatched, troops would scurry after them,

and no one would ever see him. The wily bandit seemed to be always one

step ahead of the American military.

By the summer of that year, the expedition had swelled to 123,000 men.

They suffered through the stultifying heat, the mosquitoes, the wild terrain.

Trudging over a countryside in which they were already resented,

THE FOX AND TKR CHAPKS

A starving fox ...

saw a cluster

Of luscious-looking

grapes of purplish

luster

Dangling above him on

a trellis-frame.

He would have dearly

liked them for his

lunch,

But when he tried and

failed to reach the

bunch:

"Ah well, it's more than

likely they're not

sweet

Good only for green

fools to eat!"

Wasn 'the wise to say they were unripe Rather than whine and gripe

FABLES,

Jean de La Fontaine, 1621-1695

Once when G K. Chesterton's economic views were abused in print by

George Bernard Shaw, his friends waited in vain for him to reply. Historian

Hilaire Belloc reproached him. “My dear Belloc,” Chesterton said, “I have

answered him. To a man of Shaw's wit, silence is the one unbearable

repartee.”

the little, brown book of anecdotes, Clifton Fadiman, ed., 1985

An ass had once by some accident lost his tail, which was a grievous

affliction to him; and he was everywhere seeking after it, being fool enough

to think he could get it set on again. He passed through a meadow, and

afterwards got into a garden. The gardener seeing him, and not able to

endure the mischief he was doing in trampling down his plants, fell into a

violent rage, ran to the ass, and never standing on the ceremony of a pillory,

cut off both his ears, and beat him out of the ground. Thus the ass, who

bemoaned the loss of his tail, was in far greater affliction when he saw

himself without ears.

FABLES, PlLPAY,

India, fourth century

iiii: I'uomov ox

Once, when the Toku-daiji minister of the right was chief of the

imperial police, he was holding a meeting of his staff at the middle gate

when an ox belonging to an official named Akikane got loose and wandered

into the ministry building. It climbed up on

they infuriated bodi the local people and the Mexican government. At

one point Pancho Villa hid in a mountain cave to recover from a gunshot

wound he received in a skirmish with the Mexican army; looking down

from his aerie, he could watch Pershing lead the exhausted American troops

back and forth across the mountains, never getting any closer to their goal.

All the way into winter, Villa played his cat-and-mouse game.

Americans came to see the affair as a kind of slapstick farcein fact they

began to admire Villa again, respecting his resourcefulness in eluding a

superior force. In January of 1917, Wilson finally ordered Pershing's

withdrawal. As the troops made their way back to American territory, rebel

forces pursued them, forcing the U.S. Army to use airplanes to protect its

rear flanks. The Punitive Expedition was being punished itselfit had turned

into a retreat of the most humiliating sort.

Interpretation

Woodrow Wilson organized the Punitive Expedition as a show of force:

would teach Pancho Villa a lesson and in the process show the world

that

no one, large or small, could attack the mighty United States and get

away

with it. The expedition would be over in a few weeks, and Villa would

forgotten.

That was not how it played out. The longer the expedition took, the

more it focused attention on the Americans' incompetence and on Villa's

cleverness. Soon what was forgotten was not Villa but the raid that had

started it all. As a minor annoyance became an international

embarrassment, and the enraged Americans dispatched more troops, die

imbalance between die size of the pursuer and the size of die pursuedwho

still managed to stay freemade the affair a joke. And in the end this white

elephant of an army had to lumber out of Mexico, humiliated. The Punitive

Expedition did the opposite of what it set out to do: It left Villa not only

free but more popular than ever.

What could Wilson have done differendy He could have pressured the

Carranza government to catch Villa for him. Alternatively, since many

Mexicans had tired of Villa before the Punitive Expedition began, he could

have worked quietly with diem and won their support for a much smaller

raid to capture the bandit. He could have organized a trap on the American

side of the border, anticipating the next raid. Or he could have ignored die

matter altogether for the time being, waiting for the Mexicans themselves to

do away with Villa of their own accord.

Remember: You choose to let things bother you. You can just as easily

choose not to notice the irritating offender, to consider the matter trivial and

unworthy of your interest. That is the powerful move. What you do not

react to cannot drag you down in a futile engagement. Your pride is not

involved. The best lesson you can teach an irritating gnat is to consign it to

oblivion by ignoring it. If it is impossible to ignore (Pancho Villa had in fact

killed American citizens), then conspire in secret to do away with it, but

never inadvertently draw attention to the bothersome insect that will go

away or die on its own. If you waste time and energy in such

entanglements, it is your own fault. Learn to play the card of disdain and

turn your back on what cannot harm you in the long run.

Just thinkit cost your government $130 million to try to get me. I took

them

over rough, hilly country. Sometimes for fifty miles at a stretch they had

no water.

They had nothing but the sun and mosquitoes.... And nothing was

gained.

Pancho Villa, 1878-1923

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

In the year 1527, King Henry VIII of England decided he had to find a

way to get rid of his wife, Catherine of Aragon. Catherine had failed to

produce a son, a male heir who would ensure the continuance of his

dynasty, and Henry thought he knew why: He had read in the Bible the

passage, “And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing:

he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.” Before

marrying Henry, Catherine had married his older brother Arthur, but Arthur

had died five months later. Henry had waited an appropriate time, then had

married his brother's widow.

Catherine was the daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of

Spain, and by marrying her Henry had kept alive a valuable alliance. Now,

however, Catherine had to assure him that her brief marriage with Arthur

had never been consummated. Otherwise Henry would view their

relationship as incestuous and their marriage as null and void. Catherine

insisted that she had remained a virgin through her marriage to Arthur, and

Pope Clement VII supported her by giving his blessing to the union, which

he could not have done had he considered it incestuous. Yet after years of

marriage to Henry, Catherine had failed to produce a son, and in the early

1520s she had entered menopause. To the king this could only mean one

thing: She had lied about her virginity, their union was incestuous, and God

had punished them.

There was another reason why Henry wanted to get rid of Catherine: He

had fallen in love with a younger woman, Anne Boleyn. Not only was he in

love with her, but if he married her he could still hope to sire a legitimate

son. The marriage to Catherine had to be annulled. For this, however, Henry

had to apply to the Vatican. But Pope Clement would never annul the

marriage.

By the summer of 1527, rumors spread throughout Europe that Henry

was about to attempt the impossibleto annul his marriage against Clement's

wishes. Catherine would never abdicate, let alone voluntarily enter a

nunnery, as Henry had urged her. But Henry had his own strategy: He

stopped sleeping in the same bed with Catherine, since he considered her

his sister-in-law, not his lawful wife. He insisted on calling her Princess

the dais where the chief was seated and lay there, chewing its cud.

Everyone was sure that this was some grave portent, and urged that the ox

be sent to a yin-yang diviner. However, the prime minister, the father of the

minister of the right, said, “An ox has no discrimination. It has legsthere is

nowhere it won't go. It does not make sense to deprive an underpaid official

of the wretched ox he needs in order to attend court.” He returned the ox to

its owner and changed the matting on which it had lain. No untoward event

of any kind occurred afterward. They say that if you see a prodigy and do

not treat it as such, its character as a prodigy is destroyed.

essays in idleness,

Kenko,

Japan,

fourteenth century

And in this view it is advisable to let everyone of your acquaintance

whether man or womanfeel now and then that you could very well dispense

with their company. This will consolidate friendship. Nay, with most people

there will be no harm in occasionally mixing a grain of disdain with your

treatment of them; that will make them value your friendship all the more.

Chi non stima vien stimato, as a subtle Italian proverb has itto disregard is

to win regard. But if we really think very highly of a person, we should

conceal it from him like a crime. This is not a very gratifying thing to do,

but it is right. Why, a dog will not bear being treated too kindly, let alone a

man!

Arthur

Schopenhauer,

1788-1860

A monkey was carrying two handfuls of peas. One little pea dropped

out. He tried to pick it up, and spilt twenty. He tried to pick up the twenty,

and spilt them all. Then he lost his temper, scattered the peas in all

directions, and ran away.

FABLES,

Leo Tolstoy, 1828-1910

Dowager of Wales, her title as Arthur's widow. Finally, in 1531, he

banished her from court and shipped her off to a distant casde. The pope

ordered him to return her to court, on pain of excommunication, the most

severe penalty a Catholic could suffer. Henry not only ignored diis threat,

he insisted that his marriage to Cadierine had been dissolved, and in 1533

he married Anne Boleyn.

Clement refused to recognize the marriage, but Henry did not care. He

no longer recognized the pope's autiiority, and proceeded to break with the

Roman Catholic Church, establishing the Church of England in its stead,

with the king as the head of the new church. And so, not surprisingly, the

newly formed Church of England proclaimed Anne Boleyn England's

rightful queen.

The pope tried every threat in the book, but nothing worked. Henry

simply ignored him. Clement fumedno one had ever treated him so

contemptuously. Henry had humiliated him and he had no power of

recourse. Even excommunication (which he constantly threatened but never

carried out) would no longer matter.

Catherine too felt the devastating sting of Henry's disdain. She tried to

fight back, but in appealing to Henry her words fell on deaf ears, and soon

they fell on no one's. Isolated from die court, ignored by die king, mad widi

anger and frustration, Cadierine slowly deteriorated, and finally died in

January of 1536, from a cancerous tumor of the heart.

Interpretation

When you pay attention to a person, the two of you become partners of

sorts, each moving in step to die actions and reactions of the otiier. In the

process you lose your initiative. It is a dynamic of all interactions: By

acknowledging otiier people, even if only to fight with them, you open

yourself to dieir influence. Had Henry locked horns with Cadierine, he

would have found himself mired in endless arguments tiiat would have

weakened his resolve and eventually worn him down. (Cadierine was a

strong, stubborn woman.) Had he set out to convince Clement to change his

verdict on the marriage's validity, or tried to compromise and negotiate with

him, he would have gotten bogged down in Clement's favorite tactic:

playing for time, promising flexibility, but actually getting what popes

always got dieir way.

Henry would have none of this. He played a devastating power

gametotal disdain. By ignoring people you cancel diem out. This unset-ties

and infuriates thembut since they have no dealings witii you, diere is

notiiing they can do.

This is the offensive aspect of the law. Playing the card of contempt is

immensely powerful, for it lets you determine the conditions of die conflict.

The war is waged on your terms. This is the ultimate power pose: You are

the king, and you ignore what offends you. Watch how tins tactic infuriates

peoplehalf of what they do is to get your attention, and when you withhold

it from them, they flounder in frustration.

MAN: Kick himhe'll forgive you. Flatter himhe may or may not

see through you. But ignore him and he'll hate you.

Idries Shah, Caravan of Dreams, 1968

KEYS TO POWER

Desire often creates paradoxical effects: The more you want something,

the more you chase after it, the more it eludes you. The more interest you

show, the more you repel the object of your desire. This is because your

interest is too strongit makes people awkward, even fearful. Uncontrollable

desire makes you seem weak, unworthy, pathetic.

You need to turn your back on what you want, show your contempt and

disdain. This is the kind of powerful response mat will drive your targets

crazy. They will respond with a desire of their own, which is simply to have

an effect on youperhaps to possess you, perhaps to hurt you. If they want to

possess you, you have successfully completed the first step of seduction. If

they want to hurt you, you have unsettled them and made them play by your

rules (see Laws 8 and 39 on baiting people into action).

Contempt is the prerogative of the king. Where his eyes turn, what he

decides to see, is what has reality; what he ignores and turns his back on is

as good as dead. That was the weapon of King Louis XIVif he did not like

you, he acted as if you were not there, maintaining his superiority by cutting

off the dynamic of interaction. This is the power you have when you play

the card of contempt, periodically showing people mat you can do without

them.

If choosing to ignore enhances your power, it follows that the opposite

approachcommitment and engagementoften weakens you. By paying undue

attention to a puny enemy, you look puny, and the longer it takes you to

crush such an enemy, the larger the enemy seems. When Athens set out to

conquer tlie island of Sicily, in 415 B.C., a giant power was attacking a tiny

one. Yet by entangling Athens in a long-drawn-out conflict, Syracuse,

Sicily's most important city-state, was able to grow in stature and

confidence. Finally defeating Athens, it made itself famous for centuries to

come. In recent times, President John F. Kennedy made a similar mistake in

his attitude to Fidel Castro of Cuba: His failed invasion at the Bay of Pigs,

in 1961, made Castro an international hero.

A second danger: If you succeed in crushing the irritant, or even if you

merely wound it, you create sympathy for the weaker side. Critics of

Franklin D. Roosevelt complained bitterly about the money his

administration spent on government projects, but their attacks had no

resonance with the public, who saw the president as working to end die

Great Depression. His opponents thought they had an example that would

show just how wasteful he had become: his dog, Fala, which he lavished

with favors and attention. Critics railed at his insensitivityspending

taxpayers' money on a dog while so many Americans were still in poverty.

But Roosevelt had a response: How dare his critics attack a defenseless

little dog

As some make gossip out of everything, so others make much ado about

everything. They are always talking big, [and] take everything seriously,

making a quarrel and a mystery of it. You should take very few grievances

to heart, for to do so is to give yourself groundless worry. It is a topsyturvy

way of behaving to take to heart cares which you ought to throw over your

shoulder. Many things which seemed important [at the time] turn out to be

of no account when they are ignored; and others, which seem trifling,

appear formidable when you pay attention to them. Things can easily be

settled at the outset, but not so later on. In many cases, the remedy itself is

the cause of the disease: to let things be is not the least satisfactory of life's

rules.

Baltasar GraciAn, 1601-1658

There was a certain

original man who

desired to catch his

own shadow. He makes

a step or two toward it,

but it moves away from

him. He quickens his

pace; it does the same.

At last he takes to

running; but the

quicker he goes, the

quicker runs the

shadow also, utterly

refusing to give itself

up, just as if it had been

a treasure. But see! our

eccentric friend

suddenly turns round,

and walks away from

it. And presently he

looks behind him; now

the shadow runs

after him.

Ladies fair, I have

often observed ... that

Fortune treats us in a

similar way. One man

tries with all his might

to seize the goddess,

and only loses his time

and his trouble.

Another seems, to all

appearance, to be

running out of her

sight; but, no: she

herself takes a pleasure

in pursuing him.

FABLES,

Ivan Kriloff, 1768-1844

His speech in defense of Fala was one of the most popular he ever gave.

In this case, the weak party involved was the president's dog and the attack

backfiredin the long run, it only made the president more sympadietic, since

many people will naturally side with the “underdog,” just as the American

public came to sympathize with the wily but outnumbered Pan-cho Villa.

It is tempting to want to fix our mistakes, but the harder we try, the

worse we often make them. It is sometimes more politic to leave them

alone. In 1971, when the New York Times published die Pentagon Papers, a

group of government documents about the history of U.S. involvement in

Indochina, Henry Kissinger erupted into a volcanic rage. Furious about die

Nixon administration's vulnerability to diis kind of damaging leak, he made

recommendations that eventually led to the formation of a group called die

Plumbers to plug die leaks. This was the unit that later broke into

Democratic Party offices in the Watergate Hotel, setting off the chain of

events that led to Nixon's downfall. In reality the publication of the

Pentagon Papers was not a serious direat to the administration, but

Kissinger's reaction made it a big deal. In trying to fix one problem, he

created an-otiier: a paranoia for security that in die end was much more

destructive to the government. Had he ignored the Pentagon Papers, the

scandal they had created would eventually have blown over.

Instead of inadvertendy focusing attention on a problem, making it seem

worse by publicizing how much concern and anxiety it is causing you, it is

often far wiser to play die contemptuous aristocrat, not deigning to

acknowledge die problem's existence. There are several ways to execute

this strategy.

First there is the sour-grapes approach. If there is something you want

but that you realize you cannot have, the worst thing you can do is draw

attention to your disappointment by complaining about it. An infinitely

more powerful tactic is to act as if it never really interested you in the first

place. When the writer George Sand's supporters nominated her to be the

first female member of the Academie Francaise, in 1861, Sand quickly saw

that the academy would never admit her. Instead of whining, though, she

claimed she had no interest in belonging to this group of worn-out,

overrated, out-of-touch windbags. Her disdain was die perfect response:

Had she shown her anger at her exclusion, she would have revealed how

much it meant to her. Instead she branded the academy a club of old

menand why should she be angry or disappointed at not having to spend her

time with them Crying “sour grapes” is sometimes seen as a reflection of

the weak; it is actually the tactic of the powerful.

Second, when you are attacked by an inferior, deflect people's attention

by making it clear that die attack has not even registered. Look away, or

answer sweetly, showing how litde the attack concerns you. Similarly, when

you yourself have committed a blunder, the best response is often to make

less of your mistake by treating it lightly.

The Japanese emperor Go-Saiin, a great disciple of the tea ceremony,

owned a priceless antique tea bowl that all the courtiers envied. One day

a guest, Dainagon Tsunehiro, asked if he could carry the tea bowl into the

light, to examine it more closely. The bowl rarely left the table, but the

emperor was in good spirits and he consented. As Dainagon carried the

bowl to the railing of the verandah, however, and held it up to the light, it

slipped from his hands and fell on a rock in the garden below, smashing into

tiny fragments.

The emperor of course was furious. “It was indeed most clumsy of me

to let it drop in this way,” said Dainagon, with a deep bow, “but really there

is not much harm done. This Ido tea-bowl is a very old one and it is

impossible to say how much longer it would have lasted, but anyhow it is

not a thing of any public use, so I think it rather fortunate that it has broken

thus.” This surprising response had an immediate effect: The emperor

calmed down. Dainagon neither sniveled nor overapologized, but signaled

his own worth and power by treating his mistake with a touch of disdain.

The emperor had to respond with a similar aristocratic indifference; his

anger had made him seem low and pettyan image Dainagon was able to

manipulate.

Among equals this tactic might backfire: Your indifference could make

you seem callous. But with a master, if you act quickly and without great

fuss, it can work to great effect: You bypass his angry response, save him

the time and energy he would waste by brooding over it, and allow him the

opportunity to display his own lack of pettiness publicly.

If we make excuses and denials when we are caught in a mistake or a

deception, we stir the waters and make the situation worse. It is often wiser

to play things the opposite way. The Renaissance writer Pietro Aretino

often boasted of his aristocratic lineage, which was, of course, a fiction,

since he was actually the son of a shoemaker. When an enemy of his finally

revealed the embarrassing truth, word quickly spread, and soon all of

Venice (where he lived at the time) was aghast at Aretino's lies. Had he tried

to defend himself, he would have only dragged himself down. His response

was masterful: He announced that he was indeed the son of a shoemaker,

but this only proved his greatness, since he had risen from the lowest

stratum of society to its very pinnacle. From then on he never mentioned his

previous lie, trumpeting instead his new position on the matter of his

ancestry.

Remember: The powerful responses to niggling, petty annoyances and

irritations are contempt and disdain. Never show that something has

affected you, or that you are offendedthat only shows you have

acknowledged a problem. Contempt is a dish that is best served cold and

without affectation.

Image:

The Tiny

Wound.

It is small but painful and irritating. You try all sorts of medicaments,

you complain, you scratch and pick at the scab. Doctors only make it worse,

transforming the tiny wound into a grave matter. If only you had left the

wound alone, letting time heal it and freeing yourself of worry.

Authority: Know how to play the card of contempt. It is the most politic

kind of revenge. For there are many of whom we should have known

nothing if their distinguished opponents had taken no notice of them. There

is no revenge like oblivion, for it is the entombment of the unworthy in the

dust of their own nothingness. (Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)

REVERSAL

You must play the card of contempt with care and delicacy. Most small

troubles will vanish on their own if you leave diem be; but some will grow

and fester unless you attend to them. Ignore a person of inferior stature and

the next time you look he has become a serious rival, and your contempt

has made him vengeful as well. The great princes of Renaissance Italy

chose to ignore Cesare Borgia at the outset of his career as a young general

in the army of his father, Pope Alexander VI. By the time they paid

attention it was too latedie cub was now a lion, gobbling up chunks of Italy.

Often, tlien, while you show contempt publicly you will also need to keep

an eye on the problem privately, monitoring its status and making sure it

goes away. Do not let it become a cancerous cell.

Develop the skill of sensing problems when they are still small and

taking care of them before they become intractable. Learn to distinguish

between the potentially disastrous and the mildly irritating, the nuisance

that will quietiy go away on its own. In eidier case, though, never

completely take your eye off it. As long as it is alive it can smolder and

spark into life.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 37

CREATE COMPELLING SPECTACLES

JUDGMENT

Striking imagery and grand symbolic gestures create the aura of

powereveryone responds to them. Stage spectacles for those around you,

then, full of arresting visuals and radiant symbols that heighten your

presence. Dazzled by appearances, no one will notice what you are really

doing.

ANTONY ANDCI.KOI'VIHA

She relied above all upon her physical presence and the spell and

enchantment which it could create.... She came sailing up the river Cydnus

in a barge with a poop of gold, its purple sails billowing in the wind, while

her rowers caressed the water with oars of silver which dipped in time to

the music of the flute, accompanied by pipes and lutes. Cleopatra herself

reclined beneath a canopy of cloth of gold, dressed in the character of

Aphrodite, as we see her in paintings, while on either side to complete the

picture stood boys costumed as Cupids who cooled her with their fans.

Instead of a crew the barge was lined with the most beautiful of her waiting-

women attired as Nereids and Graces, some at the rudders, others at the

tackle of the sails, and all the while an indescribably rich perfume, exhaled

from innumerable censers, was wafted from the vessel to the riverbanks.

Great multitudes accompanied this royal progress, some of them following

the queen on both sides of the river from its very mouth, while others

hurried down from the city of Tarsus to gaze at the sight. Gradually the

crowds drifted away from the marketplace,

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW I

In the early 1780s, word spread through Berlin of the strange and

spectacular medical practice of a Dr. Weisleder. He performed his miracles

in an enormous converted beer hall, outside which Berliners began to notice

ever longer lines of peoplethe blind, the lame, anyone with an illness

incurable by normal medicine. When it leaked out that the doctor worked

by exposing the patient to the rays of the moon, he soon became dubbed

The Moon Doctor of Berlin.

Sometime in 1783, it was reported that Dr. Weisleder had cured a well-

to-do woman of a terrible ailment. He suddenly became a celebrity.

Previously only the poorest Berliners had been seen waiting outside the

beer hall in their rags; now magnificent carriages were parked outside, and

gentlemen in frock coats, and ladies with enormous coiffures, lined the

street as sunset drew near. Even folk with the mildest of ailments came, out

of sheer curiosity. As they waited in line, the poorer clients would explain

to the gentlemen and ladies that the doctor only practiced when the moon

was in its increscent phase. Many would add that they themselves had

already been exposed to die healing powers he called forth from the rays of

the moon. Even those who felt cured kept coming back, drawn by this

powerful experience.

Inside the beer hall, a strange and stirring spectacle greeted the visitor:

Packed into the entrance hall was a crowd of all classes and ethnic

backgrounds, a veritable Tower of Babel. Through tall windows on the

northern side of the hall, silvery moonlight poured in at odd angles. The

doctor and his wife, who, it seemed, was also able to effect the cure,

practiced on the second floor, which was reached by a stairway, at the end

of the hall. As the line edged closer to the stairs, the sick would hear shouts

and cries from above, and word would spread of, perhaps, a blind

gentleman suddenly able to see.

Once upstairs, the line would fork in two directions, toward a northern

room for the doctor, a southern one for his wife, who worked only on the

ladies. Finally, after hours of anticipation and waiting in line, the gentlemen

patients would be led before the amazing doctor himself, an elderly man

with a few stalks of wild gray hair and an air of nervous energy. He would

take the patient (let us say a young boy, brought in by his father), uncover

the afflicted body part, and lift the boy up to the window, which faced the

light of the moon. He would rub the site of the injury or illness, mumble

something unintelligible, look knowingly at the moon, and then, after

collecting his fee, send the boy and his father on their way. Meanwhile, in

the south-facing room, his wife would be doing the same with the

ladieswhich was odd, really, since the moon cannot appear in two places at

once; it cannot have been visible, in other words, from both windows.

Apparendy the mere thought, idea, and symbol of the moon were enough,

for the ladies did not complain, and would later remark confidently that the

wife of the Moon Doctor had the same healing powers as he.

Interpretation

Dr. Weisleder may have known nothing about medicine, but he

understood human nature. He recognized that people do not always want

words, or rational explanations, or demonstrations of the powers of science;

they want an immediate appeal to their emotions. Give them that and they

will do the restsuch as imagine they can be healed by the light reflected

from a rock a quarter million miles away. Dr. Weisleder had no need of

pills, or of lengtfry lectures on the moon's power, or of any silly gadgetry to

amplify its rays. He understood that the simpler the spectacle the betterjust

the moonlight pouring in from the side, the stairway leading to the heavens,

and the rays of the moon, whether directly visible or not. Any added effects

might have made it seem that the moon was not strong enough on its own.

And the moon was strong enoughit was a magnet for fantasies, as it has

been throughout history. Simply by associating himself with the image of

the moon, the doctor gained power.

Remember: Your search for power depends on shortcuts. You must

always circumvent people's suspicions, their perverse desire to resist your

will. Images are an extremely effective shortcut: Bypassing the head, the

seat of doubt and resistance, they aim straight for the heart. Overwhelming

the eyes, they create powerful associations, bringing people together and

stirring their emotions. With the white light of the moon in their eyes, your

targets are blinded to the deceptions you practice.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW II

In 1536 the future king Henri II of France took his first mistress, Diane

de Poitiers. Diane was thirty-seven at the time, and was the widow of the

grand seneschal of Normandy. Henri, meanwhile, was a sprightly lad of

seventeen, who was just beginning to sow his wild oats. At first their union

seemed merely platonic, with Henri showing an intensely spiritual devotion

to Diane. But it soon became clear tiiat he loved her in every way,

preferring her bed to that of his young wife, Catherine de' Medicis.

In 1547 King Francis died and Henri ascended to the throne. This new

situation posed perils for Diane de Poitiers. She had just turned forty-eight,

and despite her notorious cold baths and rumored youth potions, she was

beginning to show her age; now that Henri was king, perhaps he would

return to the queen's bed, and do as other kings had donechoose mistresses

from the bevy of beauties who made the French court the envy of Europe.

He was, after all, only twenty-eight, and cut a dashing figure. But Diane did

not give up so easily. She would continue to enthrall her lover, as she had

enthralled him for the past eleven years.

Diane's secret weapons were symbols and images, to which she had

always paid great attention. Early on in her relationship with Henri, she had

created a motif by intertwining her initials with his, to symbolize their

union. The idea worked like a charm: Henri put this insignia everywhere on

his royal robes, on monuments, on churches, on the facade of the

where Antony awaited the queen enthroned on his tribunal, until at last

he was left sitting quite alone. And the word spread on every side that

Aphrodite had come to revel with Dionysus for the happiness of Asia.

Antony then sent a message inviting Cleopatra to dine with him. But she

thought it more appropriate that he should come to her, and so, as he wished

to show his courtesy and goodwill, he accepted and went. He found the

preparations made to receive him magnificent beyond words, but what

astonished him most of all was the extraordinary number of lights. So many

of these, it is said, were let down from the roof and displayed on all sides at

once, and they were arranged and grouped in such ingenious patterns in

relation to each other, some in squares and some in circles, that they created

as brilliant a spectacle as can ever have been devised to delight the eye.

life of antony, Plutarch, c. a.d. 46-120

In the Middle Ages the symbolist attitude was much more in evidence.

... Symbolism appears as a sort of short cut of thought. Instead of looking

for the relation

between two things by following the hidden detours of their causal

connexions, thought makes a leap and discovers their relation not in the

connexion of cause and effects, but in a connexion of signification. ...

Symbolist thought permits an infinity of relations between things. Each

thing may denote a number of distinct ideas by its different special

qualities, and a quality may have several symbolic meanings. The highest

conceptions have symbols by the thousand. Nothing is too humble to

represent and glory the sublime. The walnut signifies Christ: the sweet

kernel is His divine nature, the green and pulpy outer peel is His humanity,

the wooden shell between is the cross. Thus all things raise his thoughts to

the eternal.. .. Every precious stone, besides its natural splendour sparkles

with the brilliance of its symbolic values. The assimilation of roses and

virginity is much more than a poetic comparison, for it reveals their

common essence. As each notion arises in the mind the logic of symbolism

creates an harmony of ideas.

THE WANING OF THE

MIDDLE AGES,

JOHAN HUIZINGA,

Louvre, then the royal palace in Paris. Diane's favorite colors were

black and white, which she wore exclusively, and wherever it was possible

the insignia appeared in these colors. Everyone recognized the symbol and

its meaning. Soon after Henri took the throne, however, Diane went still

further: She decided to identify herself with the Roman goddess Diana, her

namesake. Diana was the goddess of the hunt, the traditional royal pastime

and the particular passion of Henri. Equally important, in Renaissance art

she symbolized chastity and purity. For a woman like Diane to identify

herself with tiiis goddess would instantly call up those images in the court,

giving her an air of respectability. Symbolizing her “chaste” relationship

with Henri, it would also set her apart from the adulterous liaisons of royal

mistresses past.

To effect this association, Diane began by completely transforming her

casde at Anet. She razed the building's structure and in its place erected a

magnificent Doric-columned edifice modeled after a Roman temple. It was

made in white Normandy stone flecked with black silex, reproducing

Diane's trademark colors of black and white. The insignia of her and Henri's

initials appeared on the columns, the doors, the windows, the carpet.

Meanwhile, symbols of Dianacrescent moons, stags, and hounds adorned

the gates and facade. Inside, enormous tapestries depicting episodes in the

life of the goddess lay on the floors and hung on the walls. In the garden

stood the famous Goujon sculpture Diane Chasseresse, which is now in the

Louvre, and which had an uncanny resemblance to Diane de Poitiers.

Paintings and other depictions of Diana appeared in every corner of the

casde.

Anet overwhelmed Henri, who soon was trumpeting the image of Diane

de Poitiers as a Roman goddess. In 1548, when the couple appeared

together in Lyons for a royal celebration, the townspeople welcomed them

with a tableau vivant depicting a scene with Diana the huntress. France's

greatest poet of die period, Pierre de Ronsard, began to write verses in

honor of Dianaindeed a kind of cult of Diana sprang up, all inspired by the

king's mistress. It seemed to Henri that Diane had given herself a kind of

divine aura, and as if he were destined to worship her for the rest of his life.

And until his death, in 1559, he did remain faithful to hermaking her a

duchess, giving her untold wealth, and displaying an almost religious

devotion to his first and only mistress.

Interpretation

Diane de Poitiers, a woman from a modest bourgeois background,

managed to captivate Henri for over twenty years. By the time he died she

was well into her sixties, yet his passion for her only increased with the

years. She knew the king well. He was not an intellectual but a lover of die

outdoorshe particularly loved jousting tournaments, with their bright

pennants, brilliandy caparisoned horses, and beautifully dressed women.

Henri's love of visual splendor seemed childlike to Diane, and she played

on this weakness of his at every opportunity.

Most astute of all was Diane's appropriation of the goddess Diana. Here

she took the game beyond physical imagery into the realm of the psychic

symbol. It was quite a feat to transform a king's mistress into an emblem of

power and purity, but she managed it. Without the resonance of the goddess,

Diane was merely an aging courtesan. With the imagery and symbolism of

Diana on her shoulders, she seemed a mythic force, destined for greatness.

You too can play with images like these, weaving visual clues into an

encompassing gestalt, as Diane did with her colors and her insignia.

Establish a trademark like these to set yourself apart. Then take the game

further: Find an image or symbol from the past that will neatly fit your

situation, and put it on your shoulders like a cape. It will make you seem

larger man life.

Because of the light it shines on the other stars which make up a kind of

court around it, because of the just and equal distribution of its rays to

all alike, because of the good it brings to all places, producing life, joy

and action, because of its constancy from which it never varies, I chose

the sun as the most magnificent image to represent a great leader.

Louis XIV, the Sun King, 1638-1715

KEYS TO POWER

Using words to plead your case is risky business: Words are dangerous

instruments, and often go astray. The words people use to persuade us

virtually invite us to reflect on them with words of our own; we mull them

over, and often end up believing the opposite of what they say. (That is part

of our perverse nature.) It also happens that words offend us, stirring up

associations unintended by the speaker.

The visual, on the other hand, short-circuits the labyrinth of words. It

strikes with an emotional power and immediacy that leave no gaps for

reflection and doubt. Like music, it leaps right over rational, reasonable

thoughts. Imagine the Moon Doctor trying to make a case for his medical

practice, trying to convince the unconverted by telling them about the

healing powers of the moon, and about his own special connection to a

distant object in the sky. Fortunately for him, he was able to create a

compelling spectacle that made words unnecessary. The moment his

patients entered the beer hall, the image of the moon spoke eloquently

enough.

Understand: Words put you on the defensive. If you have to explain

yourself your power is already in question. The image, on the other hand,

imposes itself as a given. It discourages questions, creates forceful

associations, resists unintended interpretations, communicates instantly, and

forges bonds that transcend social differences. Words stir up arguments and

divisions; images bring people together. They are the quintessential

instruments of power.

The symbol has the same force, whether it is visual (the statue of

There was a man named Sakamotoya Hechigwan who lived in upper

Kyoto.... When [Emperor] Hideyoshi gave his great Cha-no-yu [tea

ceremony] meeting at Kitano in the tenth month of 1588, Hechigwan set up

a great red umbrella nine feet across mounted on a stick seven feet high.

The circumference of the handle he surrounded for about two feet by a reed

fence in such a way that the rays of the sun were reflected from it and

diffused the colour of the umbrella all around. This device pleased

Hideyoshi so much that he remitted Hechigwan's taxes as a reward.

CHA-NO-YU:

THE JAPANESE TEA

CEREMONY,

A. L. Sadler, 1962

Diana) or a verbal description of something visual (the words “the Sun

King”). The symbolic object stands for something else, something abstract

(such as the image “Diana” standing for chastity). The abstract concept

purity, patriotism, courage, loveis full of emotional and powerful

associations. The symbol is a shortcut of expression, containing dozens of

meanings in one simple phrase or object. The symbol of the Sun King, as

explained by Louis XIV, can be read on many layers, but the beauty of it is

that its associations required no explanation, spoke immediately to his

subjects, distinguished him from all other kings, and conjured up a kind of

majesty that went far beyond the words themselves. The symbol contains

untold power.

The first step in using symbols and images is to understand the primacy

of sight among the senses. Before the Renaissance, it has been argued, sight

and the other sensestaste, touch, and so onoperated on a relatively equal

plane. Since then, however, the visual has come to dominate the others, and

is the sense we most depend on and trust. As Gracian said, “The truth is

generally seen, rarely heard.” When the Renaissance painter Fra Filippo

Lippi was a captured slave among the Moors, he won his freedom by

sketching a drawing of his master on a white wall with a piece of charcoal;

when the owner saw the drawing, he instantly understood the power of a

man who could make such images, and let Fra Lippi go. That one image

was far more powerful than any argument the artist could have made with

words.

Never neglect the way you arrange things visually. Factors like color,

for example, have enormous symbolic resonance. When the con artist

Yellow Kid Weil created a newsletter touting the phony stocks he was

peddling, he called it the “Red Letter Newsletter” and had it printed, at

considerable expense, in red ink. The color created a sense of urgency,

power, and good fortune. Weil recognized details like these as keys to

deceptionas do modern advertisers and mass-marketers. If you use “gold” in

the title of anything you are trying to sell, for example, print it in gold.

Since the eye predominates, people will respond more to the color than to

the word.

The visual contains great emotional power. The Roman emperor Con-

stantine worshipped the sun as a god for most of his life; one day, though,

he looked up at die sun, and saw a cross superimposed on it. The vision of

the cross over the sun proved to him the ascendancy of the new religion,

and he converted not just himself but the whole Roman Empire to

Christianity soon thereafter. All the preaching and proselytizing in the

world could not have been as powerful. Find and associate yourself with the

images and symbols that will communicate in this immediate way today,

and you will have untold power.

Most effective of all is a new combinationa fusion of images and

symbols that have not been seen together before, but that through their

association clearly demonstrate your new idea, message, religion. The

creation of new images and symbols out of old ones in this way has a poetic

effect viewers' associations run rampant, giving them a sense of

participation.

Visual images often appear in a sequence, and the order in which they

appear creates a symbol. The first to appear, for instance, symbolizes

power; the image at the center seems to have central importance.

Near the end of World War II, orders came down from General

Eisenhower that American troops were to lead die way into Paris after its

liberation from the Nazis. The French general Charles de Gaulle, however,

realized that this sequence would imply that the Americans now

commanded die fate of France. Through much manipulation, de Gaulle

made certain that he and the French Second Armored Division would

appear at the head of the liberating force. The strategy worked: After he had

successfully pulled off this stunt, the Allies started treating him as the new

leader of an independent France. De Gaulle knew tiiat a leader has to locate

himself literally at die head of his troops. This visual association is crucial

to the emotional response that he needs to elicit.

Things change in die game of symbols: It is probably no longer possible

to pose as a “sun king,” or to wrap the mande of Diana around you. Yet you

can associate yourself with such symbols more indirecdy. And, of course,

you can make your own mydiology out of figures from more recent history,

people who are comfortably dead but still powerfully associative in die

public eye. The idea is to give yourself an aura, a stature tiiat your normal

banal appearance simply will not create. By herself Diane de Poitiers had

no such radiant powers; she was as human and ordinary as most of us. But

the symbol elevated her above die human lot, and made her seem divine.

Using symbols also has a courtier-like effect, since diey are often

gentler dian brutish words. The psychotherapist Dr. Milton H. Erickson

always tried to find symbols and images that would communicate to die

patient in ways that words could not. When dealing witii a severely troubled

patient, he would not question him directiy but would talk about something

irrelevant, such as driving tiirough the desert in Arizona, where he practiced

in the 1950s. In describing this he would eventually come to an appropriate

symbol for what he suspected was tile man's problem. If he felt the patient

was isolated, say, Dr. Erickson would talk of a single iron-wood tree, and

how its isolation left it battered by the winds. Making an emotional

connection with die tree as a symbol, die patient would open up more

readily to the doctor's probing.

Use die power of symbols as a way to rally, animate, and unite your

troops or team. During die rebellion against the French crown in 1648,

those loyal to the king disparaged the rebels by comparing them to the

slingshots (in French, frondes) that little boys use to frighten big boys.

Cardinal de Retz decided to turn this disparaging term into die rebels'

symbol: The uprising was now known as the Fronde, and die rebels as

frondeurs. They began to wear sashes in tiieir hats that symbolized the

slingshot, and the word became tiieir rallying cry. Widiout it the rebellion

might well have petered out. Always find a symbol to represent your

causedie more emotional associations, the better.

The best way to use images and symbols is to organize tiiem into a

grand spectacle that awes people and distracts them from unpleasant

realities. This is easy to do: People love what is grand, spectacular, and

larger than life. Appeal to their emotions and they will flock to your

spectacle in hordes. The visual is the easiest route to their hearts.

Image: The Cross and the Sun. Crucifixion and total radiance. With one

imposed over the other, a new reality takes shape a new power is in the

ascendant. The symbolno explanation necessary.

Authority: The people are always impressed by the superficial

appearance of things.... The [prince] should, at fitting times of the year,

keep the people occupied and distracted with festivities and spectacles.

(Niccolo Machiavelli, 1469-1527)

REVERSAL

No power is made available by ignoring images and symbols. There is

possible reversal to this law.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 38

THINK AS YOU LIKE

BUT BEHAVE LIKE

OTHERS

JUDGMENT

If you make a show of going against the times, flaunting your

unconventional ideas and unorthodox ways, people will think that you only

want attention and that you look down upon them. They will find a way to

punish you for making them feel inferior. It is far safer to blend in and

nurture the common touch. Share your originality only with tolerant friends

and those who are sure to appreciate your uniqueness.

It is easy to run into danger by trying to swim against the stream. Only a

Socrates could attempt to do that. Disagreement is regarded as offensive

because it is a condemnation of the views of others; the numbers of the

disgruntled grow. on account either of some matter that has been the object

of censure or of some person who has praised it: Truth is for the few, error

is as usual as it is vulgar. Nor is the wise man to be recognized by what he

says in the marketplace, for he speaks there not with his own voice, but

with that of universal folly, however much his inmost thoughts may gainsay

it: The wise man avoids being contradicted as sedulously as he avoids

contradicting; the publicity of censure is withheld from that which readily

provokes it. Thought is free; it cannot and should not be coerced; retire into

the sanctuary of your silence and if you sometimes allow yourself to break

it, do so under the aegis of a discreet few.

Baltasar Gractan, 1601-1658

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

Around the year 478 B.C., the city of Sparta sent an expedition to Persia

led by die young Spartan nobleman Pausanias. The city-states of Greece

had recently fought off a mighty invasion from Persia, and now Pausanias,

along with allied ships from Atiiens, had orders to punish the invaders and

win back the islands and coastal towns that the Persians had occupied. Bodi

die Athenians and the Spartans had great respect for Pausaniashe had

proven himself as a fearless warrior, with a flair for the dramatic.

With amazing speed, Pausanias and his troops took Cyprus, then moved

on to the mainland of Asia Minor known as the Hellespont and captured

Byzantium (modern-day Istanbul). Now master of part of the Persian

empire, Pausanias began to show signs of behavior that went beyond his

normal flamboyance. He appeared in public wearing pomades in his hair

and flowing Persian robes, and accompanied by a bodyguard of Egyptians.

He held lavish banquets in which he sat in the Persian manner and

demanded to be entertained. He stopped seeing his old friends, entered into

communication with die Persian King Xerxes, and all in all affected the

style and manner of a Persian dictator.

Clearly power and success had gone to Pausanias's head. His army

Athenians and Spartans alikeat first thought this a passing fancy: He had

always been a bit exaggerated in his gestures. But when he flaunted his

disdain for die Greeks' simple way of life, and insulted the common Greek

soldier, they began to feel he had gone too far. Although there was no

concrete evidence for mis, rumors spread diat he had gone over to the odier

side, and that he dreamed of becoming a kind of Greek Xerxes. To quell die

possibility of mutiny, the Spartans relieved Pausanias of his command and

called him home.

Pausanias, however, continued to dress in the Persian style, even in

Sparta. After a few months he independently hired a trireme and returned to

the Hellespont, telling his compatriots he was going to continue the fight

against the Persians. Actually, however, he had different plansto make

himself ruler of all Greece, with the aid of Xerxes himself. The Spartans

declared him a public enemy and sent a ship to capture him. Pausanias

surrendered, certain that he could clear himself of the charges of treason. It

did come out during die trial diat during his reign as commander he had

offended his fellow Greeks time and again, erecting monuments, for

instance, in his own name, rather than in those of the cities whose troops

had fought alongside him, as was the custom. Yet Pausanias proved right:

Despite die evidence of his numerous contacts with die enemy, die Spartans

refused to imprison a man of such noble birth, and let him go.

Now thinking himself untouchable, Pausanias hired a messenger to take

a letter to Xerxes, but the messenger instead took the letter to the Spartan

authorities. These men wanted to find out more, so they had the messenger

arrange to meet Pausanias in a temple where they could hide and listen

behind a partition. What Pausanias said shocked diemdiey had never heard

such contempt for their ways spoken so brazenly by one of their ownand

they made arrangements for his immediate arrest.

On his way home from the temple, Pausanias got word of what had

happened. He ran to another temple to hide, but the authorities followed

him there and placed sentries all around. Pausanias refused to surrender.

Unwilling to forcibly remove him from the sacred temple, the authorities

kept him trapped inside, until he eventually died of starvation.

Interpretation

At first glance it might seem that Pausanias simply fell in love with

another culture, a phenomenon as old as time. Never comfortable with the

asceticism of the Spartans, he found himself enthralled by the Persian love

of luxury and sensual pleasure. He put on Persian robes and perfumes with

a sense of deliverance from Greek discipline and simplicity.

This is how it appears when people adopt a culture in which they were

not raised. Often, however, there is also something else at play: People who

flaunt their infatuation with a different culture are expressing a disdain and

contempt for their own. They are using the outward appearance of the

exotic to separate themselves from the common folk who unques-tioningly

follow the local customs and laws, and to express their sense of superiority.

Otherwise they would act with more dignity, showing respect for those who

do not share their desires. Indeed their need to show their difference so

dramatically often makes them disliked by the people whose beliefs they

challenge, indirecdy and subtly, perhaps, but offensively nonetheless.

As Thucydides wrote of Pausanias, “By his contempt for the laws and

his imitation of foreign ways he had made himself very widely suspected of

being unwilling to abide by normal standards.” Cultures have norms that

reflect centuries of shared beliefs and ideals. Do not expect to scoff at such

things with impunity. You will be punished somehow, even if just through

isolationa position of real powerlessness.

Many of us, like Pausanias, feel the siren call of the exotic, the foreign.

Measure and moderate diis desire. Flaunting your pleasure in alien ways of

thinking and acting will reveal a different motiveto demonstrate your

superiority over your fellows.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

During the late sixteenth century, a violent reaction against the

Protestant Reformation erupted in Italy. The Counter-Reformation, as it was

called, included its own version of the Inquisition to root out all deviations

from the Catholic Church. Among its victims was the scientist Galileo, but

an important thinker who suffered even greater persecution was the

Dominican monk and philosopher Tommaso Campanella.

A follower of the materialist doctrine of the Roman philosopher

Epicurus, Campanella did not believe in miracles, or in heaven and hell.

The Church had promoted such superstitions, he wrote, to control the

common folk by keeping them in fear. Such ideas verged on atheism, and

Campanella expressed them incautiously. In 1593 the Inquisition threw him

Bene vixit, qui bene latuit “He lives well who conceals himself well.”

a.d. 18

Ovid, c. 43 B.C.

Wise men [should be] like coffers with double bottoms: Which when

others look into, being opened, they see not all that they hold.

Sir Walter Raleigh, 1554-1618

WHK.N THK WATKHS WERE CHANCED

Once upon a time Khidr, the teacher of Moses, called upon mankind

with a warning. At a certain date, he said, all the water in the world which

had not been specially hoarded, would disappear. It would then be renewed,

with different water, which would drive men mad. Only one man listened to

the meaning of this advice. He collected water and went to a secure place

where he stored it, and waited for the water to change its character.

On the appointed date the streams stopped running, the wells went dry,

and the man who had listened, seeing this

LAW 38 319

happening, went to his retreat and drank his preserved water. When he

saw, from his security, the waterfalls again beginning to flow, this man

descended among the other sons of men. He found that they were thinking

and talking in an entirely different way from before; yet they had no

memory of what had happened, nor of having been warned. When he tried

to talk to them, he realized that they thought that he was mad, and they

showed hostility or compassion, not understanding. At first he drank none

of the new water, but went back to his concealment, to draw on his supplies,

every day. Finally, however, he took the decision to drink the new water

because he could not bear the loneliness of living, behaving and thinking in

a different way from everyone else. He drank the new water, and became

like the rest. Then he forgot all about his own store of special water, and his

fellows began to look upon him as a madman who had miraculously been

restored to sanity.

TALES OF

the dervishes,

Idries Shah,

into prison for his heretical beliefs. Six years later, as a form of partial

release, he was confined to a monastery in Naples.

Southern Italy was controlled by Spain at the time, and in Naples

Campanella became involved in a plot to fight and throw out mese invaders.

His hope was to establish an independent republic based on his own ideas

of Utopia. The leaders of the Italian Inquisition, working with their Spanish

counterparts, had him imprisoned again. This time diey also tortured him, to

discover the true nature of his impious beliefs: He was subjected to the

infamous la veglia, a torture in which he was suspended by his arms in a

squatting position a few inches above a seat studded with spikes. The

posture was impossible to sustain, and in time die victim would end up

sitting on the spikes, which would tear his flesh at the slightest contact.

During these years, however, Campanella learned something about

power. Facing the prospect of execution for heresy, he changed his strategy:

He would not renounce his behefs, yet he knew he had to disguise their

outward appearance.

To save his life, Campanella feigned madness. He let his inquisitors

imagine that his beliefs stemmed from an incontrollable unsoundness of

mind. For a while the tortures continued, to see if his insanity was faked,

but in 1603 his sentence was commuted to life in prison. The first four years

of this he spent chained to a wall in an underground dungeon. Despite such

conditions, he continued to writealthough no longer would he be so foolish

as to express his ideas directiy.

One book of Campanella's, The Hispanic Monarchy, promoted the idea

diat Spain had a divine mission to expand its powers around the world, and

offered the Spanish king practical, Machiavelli-type advice for achieving

this. Despite his own interest in Machiavelli, the book in general presented

ideas completely the opposite to his own. The Hispanic Monarchy was in

fact a ploy, an attempt to show his conversion to orthodoxy in the boldest

manner possible. It worked: In 1626, six years after its publication, die pope

finally let Campanella out of prison.

Shortly after gaining his freedom, Campanella wrote Atheism

Conquered, a book attacking free-thinkers, Machiavellians, Calvinists, and

heretics of all stripes. The book is written in the form of debates in which

heretics express their beliefs and are countered by arguments for the

superiority of Catholicism. Campanella had obviously reformedhis book

made that clear. Or did it

The arguments in the mouths of the heretics had never before been

expressed with such verve and freshness. Pretending to present their side

only to knock it down, Campanella actually summarized die case against

Catholicism with striking passion. When he argued the other side,

supposedly his side, on the other hand, he resorted to stale cliches and

convoluted rationales. Brief and eloquent, the heretics' arguments seemed

bold and sincere. The lengthy arguments for Catholicism seemed tiresome

and unconvincing.

Catholics who read the book found it disturbing and ambiguous, but

they could not claim it was heretical, or that Campanella should be

returned to prison. His defense of Catholicism, after all, used arguments

they had used themselves. Yet in the years to come, Atheism Conquered

became a bible for atheists, Machiavellians and libertines who used the

arguments Campanella had put in their mouths to defend their dangerous

ideas. Combining an outward display of conformity witii an expression of

his true beliefs in a way that his sympathizers would understand,

Campanella showed that he had learned his lesson.

Interpretation

In the face of awesome persecution, Campanella devised three strategic

moves that saved his hide, freed him from prison, and allowed him to

continue to express his beliefs. First he feigned madnessthe medieval

equivalent of disavowing responsibility for one's actions, like blaming one's

parents today. Next he wrote a book that expressed the exact opposite of his

own beliefs. Finally, and most brilliantiy of all, he disguised his ideas while

insinuating them at the same time. It is an old but powerful trick: You

pretend to disagree with dangerous ideas, but in die course of your

disagreement you give diose ideas expression and exposure. You seem to

conform to die prevailing orthodoxy, but diose who know will understand

die irony involved. You are protected.

It is inevitable in society that certain values and customs lose contact

with dieir original motives and become oppressive. And mere will always

be those who rebel against such oppression, harboring ideas far ahead of

their time. As Campanella was forced to realize, however, there is no point

in making a display of your dangerous ideas if diey only bring you suffering

and persecution. Martyrdom serves no purposebetter to live on in an

oppressive world, even to dirive in it. Meanwhile find a way to express your

ideas subdy for diose who understand you. Laying your pearls before swine

will only bring you trouble.

For a long time I have not said what I believed, nor do I ever believe

what I say, and if indeed sometimes I do happen to tell the truth,

I hide it among so many lies that it is hard to find.

Niccolo Machiavelli, in a letter to Francesco Guicciardini, May 17,

1521

Never combat any man's opinion; for though you reached the age of

Methuselah, you would never have done setting him right upon all the

absurd things that he believes-It is also well to avoid correcting people's

mistakes in conversation, however good your intentions may be; for it is

easy to offend people, and difficult, if not impossible to mend them.

If you feel irritated by the absurd remarks of two people whose

conversation you happen to overhear, you should imagine that you are

listening to the dialogue of two fools in a comedy. Probatum est. The man

who comes into the world with the notion that he is really going to instruct

it in matters of the highest importance, may thank his stars if he escapes

with a whole skin.

Arthur

Schopenhauer,

1788-1860

KEYS TO POWER

We all tell lies and hide our true feelings, for complete free expression is

a social impossibility. From an early age we learn to conceal our thoughts,

telling die prickly and insecure what we know they want to hear, watching

carefully lest we offend diem. For most of us tiiis is naturalthere are ideas

and values diat most people accept, and it is pointless to argue. We believe

what we want to, men, but on die outside we wear a mask.

There are people, however, who see such restraints as an intolerable

infringement on their freedom, and who have a need to prove the superi-

“Look around you,”

said the citizen. "This is

the largest market in

the world. "

“Oh surely not,” said

the traveller.

"Well, perhaps not

the largest," said the

citizen, "but much

the best."

"You are certainly

wrong there, " said the

traveller. "I can tell

you. ..."

They buried the

stranger in the dusk.

FABLES,

Robert Louis Stevenson, 1850-1894

If Machiavelli had had

a prince for disciple,

the first thing he would

have recommended

him to do would have

been to write a book

against Machiavellism.

Voltaire, 1694-1778

ority of their values and beliefs. In the end, though, their arguments

convince only a few and offend a great deal more. The reason arguments do

not work is that most people hold their ideas and values widiout thinking

about them. There is a strong emotional content in their beliefs: They really

do not want to have to rework their habits of thinking, and when you

challenge them, whether directly through your arguments or indirecdy

through your behavior, they are hostile.

Wise and clever people learn early on that they can display conventional

behavior and mouth conventional ideas widiout having to believe in diem.

The power these people gain from blending in is that of being left alone to

have die thoughts tfiey want to have, and to express diem to the people they

want to express them to, without suffering isolation or ostracism. Once tiiey

have established themselves in a position of power, they can try to convince

a wider circle of the correctness of dieir ideas perhaps working indirecdy,

using Campanella's strategies of irony and insinuation.

In the late fourteenth century, the Spanish began a massive persecution

of die Jews, murdering Uiousands and driving others out of the country.

Those who remained in Spain were forced to convert. Yet over die next

three hundred years, die Spanish noticed a phenomenon diat disturbed

them: Many of die converts lived dieir outward lives as Cadiolics, yet

somehow managed to retain their Jewish beliefs, practicing the religion in

private. Many of these so-called Marranos (originally a derogatory term,

being the Spanish for “pig”) attained high levels of government office,

married into die nobility, and gave every appearance of Christian piety, only

to be discovered late in life as practicing Jews. (The Spanish Inquisition

was specifically commissioned to ferret diem out.) Over the years they

mastered die art of dissimulation, displaying crucifixes liberally, giving

generous gifts to churches, even occasionally making anti-Semitic

remarksand all die while maintaining their inner freedom and beliefs.

In society, the Marranos knew, outward appearances are what matter.

This remains true today. The strategy is simple: As Campanella did in

writing Atheism Conquered, make a show of blending in, even going so far

as to be the most zealous advocate of the prevailing orthodoxy. If you stick

to conventional appearances in public few will believe you think differendy

in private.

Do not be so foolish as to imagine that in our own time the old

orthodoxies are gone. Jonas Salk, for instance, thought science had gotten

past politics and protocol. And so, in his search for a polio vaccine, he

broke all die rulesgoing public widi a discovery before showing it to the

scientific community, taking credit for die vaccine widiout acknowledging

die scientists who had paved die way, making himself a star. The public

may have loved him but scientists shunned him. His disrespect for his

community's orthodoxies left him isolated, and he wasted years trying to

heal die breach, and struggling for funding and cooperation.

Bertolt Brecht underwent a modern form of Inquisitionthe House

Un-American Activities Committeeand approached it with considerable

canniness. Having worked off and on in die American film industry during

World War II, in 1947 Brecht was summoned to appear before the

committee to answer questions on his suspected Communist sympathies.

Other writers called before die committee made a point of attacking its

members, and of acting as belligerently as possible in order to gain

sympadry for themselves. Brecht, on die other hand, who had actually

worked steadfastly for the Communist cause, played the opposite game: He

answered questions wim ambiguous generalities that defied easy

interpretation. Call it the Campanella strategy. Brecht even wore a suita rare

event for him and made a point of smoking a cigar during the proceedings,

knowing that a key committee member had a passion for cigars. In the end

he charmed the committee members, who let him go scot-free.

Brecht then moved to East Germany, where he encountered a different

kind of Inquisition. Here the Communists were in power, and they criticized

his plays as decadent and pessimistic. He did not argue with them, but made

small changes in the performance scripts to shut them up. Meanwhile he

managed to preserve the published texts as written. His outward conformity

in both cases gave him die freedom to work unhindered, without having to

change his thinking. In the end, he made his way safely through dangerous

times in different countries through the use of litde dances of orthodoxy,

and proved he was more powerful than the forces of repression.

Not only do people of power avoid the offenses of Pausanias and Salk,

they also learn to play the clever fox and feign the common touch. This has

been die ploy of con artists and politicians throughout die centuries.

Leaders like Julius Caesar and Franklin D. Roosevelt have overcome their

natural aristocratic stance to cultivate a familiarity with the common man.

They have expressed tiiis familiarity in little gestures, often symbolic, to

show the people that their leaders share popular values, despite their

different status.

The logical extension of this practice is die invaluable ability to be all

things to all people. When you go into society, leave behind your own ideas

and values, and put on the mask diat is most appropriate for die group in

which you find yourself. Bismarck played this game successfully for

yearsmere were people who vaguely understood what he was up to, but not

clearly enough that it mattered. People will swallow die bait because it

flatters them to believe that you share their ideas. They will not take you as

a hypocrite if you are carefulfor how can they accuse you of hypocrisy if

you do not let them know exactly what you stand for Nor will they see you

as lacking in values. Of course you have valuesdie values you share witii

diem, while in their company.

Authority: Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not dirow your pearls

before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you.

(Jesus Christ, Matthew 7:6)

Image: The Black The herd shuns the SheeD black sheep, uncertain

whether or not it belongs with them. So it straggles behind, or wanders

away from the herd, where it is cornered by wolves and promptly devoured.

Stay with the herd there is safety in numbers. Keep your differences in your

thoughts and not in your fleece.

REVERSAL

The only time it is worth standing out is when you already stand out

when you have achieved an unshakable position of power, and can display

your difference from others as a sign of the distance between you. As

president of the United States, Lyndon Johnson would sometimes hold

meetings while he sat on the toilet. Since no one else either could or would

claim such a “privilege,” Johnson was showing people that he did not have

to observe the protocols and niceties of others. The Roman emperor

Caligula played the same game: He would wear a woman's negligee, or a

bathrobe, to receive important visitors. He even went so far as to have his

horse elected consul. But it backfired, for the people hated Caligula, and his

gestures eventually brought his overthrow. The truth is that even those who

attain the heights of power would be better off at least affecting the

common touch, for at some point they may need popular support.

Finally, there is always a place for the gadfly, the person who

successfully defies custom and mocks what has grown lifeless in a culture.

Oscar Wilde, for example, achieved considerable social power on this

foundation: He made it clear that he disdained the usual ways of doing

things, and when he gave public readings his audiences not only expected

him to insult them but welcomed it. We notice, however, that his eccentric

role eventually destroyed him. Even had he come to a better end, remember

that he possessed an unusual genius: Without his gift to amuse and delight,

his barbs would simply have offended people.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 39

STIR UP WATERS TO CATCH FISH

JUDGMENT

Anger and emotion are strategically counterproductive. You must

always stay calm and objective. But if you can make your enemies angry

while staying calm yourself you gain a decided advantage. Put your

enemies off-balance: Find the chink in their vanity through which you can

rattle them and you hold the strings.

The Kyoto Shoshidai Itakura Suwo-no-kami Shigemune was very fond

of Cha-no-yu (the tea ceremony), and used to grind his own tea while

sitting in the court as judge. And the reason was this. He once asked a

friend of his who was his companion in Cha-no-yu, a tea merchant named

Eiki, to tell him frankly what was the public opinion about him. “Well,”said

Eiki, “they say that you gel irritated with those who don't give their

evidence very clearly and scold them, and so people are afraid to bring

lawsuits before you and if they do, the truth does not come out.” “Ah, I am

glad you have told me that,” replied Shigemune, “for now that I consider it,

I have fallen into the habit of speaking sharply to people in this way, and no

doubt humble folk and those who are not ready in speech get flurried and

are unable to put their case in the best light. I will see to it that this does not

occur in the future.” So after this he had a tea mill placed before him in

court and in front of it the paper-covered shoji were drawn to, and

Shigemune sat behind them and ground the tea and thus kept his mind calm

while he heard the cases. And he could

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

In January of 1809, an agitated and anxious Napoleon hurried back to

Paris from his Spanish wars. His spies and confidants had confirmed a

rumor that his foreign minister Talleyrand had conspired against him with

Fouche, the minister of police. Immediately on arriving in the capital the

shocked emperor summoned his ministers to the palace. Following them

into the meeting right after their arrival, he began pacing up and down, and

started rambling vaguely about plotters working against him, speculators

bringing down the stock market, legislators delaying his policiesand his

own ministers undermining him.

As Napoleon talked, Talleyrand leaned on the mantelpiece, looking

completely indifferent. Facing Talleyrand directly, Napoleon announced,

“For these ministers, treason has begun when they permit themselves to

doubt.” At the word “treason” the ruler expected his minister to be afraid.

But Talleyrand only smiled, calm and bored.

The sight of a subordinate apparently serene in the face of charges that

could get him hanged pushed Napoleon to the edge. There were ministers,

he said, who wanted him dead, and he took a step closer to Talleyrand who

stared back at him unfazed. Finally Napoleon exploded. “You are a

coward,” he screamed in Talleyrand's face, “a man of no faidi. Nothing is

sacred to you. You would sell your own father. I have showered you with

riches and yet there is nothing you would not do to hurt me.” The other

ministers looked at each other in disbeliefthey had never seen this fearless

general, the conqueror of most of Europe, so unhinged.

“You deserve to be broken like glass,” Napoleon continued, stamping.

“I have the power to do it, but I have too much contempt for you to bother.

Why didn't I have you hanged from die gates of the Tuileries But there is

still time for that.” Yelling, almost out of bream, his face red, his eyes

bulging, he went on, “You, by the way, are nothing but shit in a silk

stocking. ... What about your wife You never told me that San Carlos was

your wife's lover” “Indeed, sire, it did not occur to me that this information

had any bearing on Your Majesty's glory or my own,” said Talleyrand

calmly, completely unflustered. After a few more insults, Napoleon walked

away. Talleyrand slowly crossed the room, moving with his characteristic

limp. As an attendant helped him with his cloak, he turned to his fellow

ministers (all afraid they would never see him again), and said, “What a

pity, gende-men, that so great a man should have such bad manners.”

Despite his anger, Napoleon did not arrest his foreign minister. He

merely relieved him of his duties aj id banished him from die court,

believing that for this man humiliation would be punishment enough. He

did not realize that word had quickly spread of his tiradeof how the emperor

had completely lost control of himself, and how Talleyrand had essentially

humiliated him by maintaining his composure and dignity. A page had been

turned: For the first time people had seen die great emperor lose his cool

under fire. A feeling spread that he was on die way down. As Talleyrand

later said, “This is the beginning of the end.”

Interpretation

This was indeed the beginning of the end. Waterloo was still six years

ahead, but Napoleon was on a slow descent to defeat, crystallizing in 1812

with his disastrous invasion of Russia. Talleyrand was the first to see the

signs of his decline, especially in the irrational war with Spain. Sometime in

1808, die minister decided that for the future peace of Europe, Napoleon

had to go. And so he conspired with Fouche.

It is possible that the conspiracy was never anything more than a ploya

device to push Napoleon over the edge. For it is hard to believe that two of

the most practical men in history would only go halfway in their plotting.

They may have been only stirring the waters, trying to goad Napoleon into

a misstep. And indeed, what they got was the tantrum mat laid out his loss

of control for all to see. In fact, Napoleon's soon-famous blowup that

afternoon had a profoundly negative effect on his public image.

This is the problem with the angry response. At first it may strike fear

and terror, but only in some, and as the days pass and the storm clears, other

responses emergeembarrassment and uneasiness about the shouter's

capacity for going out of control, and resentment of what has been said.

Losing your temper, you always make unfair and exaggerated accusations.

A few such tirades and people are counting the days until you are gone.

In the face of a conspiracy against him, a conspiracy between his two

most important ministers, Napoleon certainly had a right to feel angry and

anxious. But by responding so angrily, and so publicly, he only

demonstrated his frustration. To show your frustration is to show that you

have lost your power to shape events; it is the helpless action of the child

who resorts to a hysterical fit to get his way. The powerful never reveal this

kind of weakness.

There were a number of tilings Napoleon could have done in this

situation. He could have thought about the fact that two eminently sensible

men had had reason to turn against him, and could have listened and

learned from them. He could have tried to win them back to him. He could

even have gotten rid of them, making their imprisonment or death an

ominous display of his power. No tirades, no childish fits, no embarrassing

after-effects-just a quiet and definitive severing of ties.

Remember: Tantrums neither intimidate nor inspire loyalty. They only

create doubts and uneasiness about your power. Exposing your weakness,

these stormy eruptions often herald a fall.

easily see whether his composure was ruffled or not by looking at the

tea, which would not fall evenly ground to the proper consistency if he got

excited. And so justice was done impartially and people went away from his

court satisfied.

cha-no-yu:

the japanese tea

ceremony

A.L.Sadler,

If possible, no animosity should be felt for anyone.... To speak angrily

to a person, to show your hatred by what you say or by the way you look, is

an unnecessary proceedingdangerous, foolish, ridiculous, and vulgar.

Anger or hatred should never be shown otherwise than in what you do;

and feelings will be all the more effective in action, in so far as you avoid

the exhibition of them in any other way. It is only the coldblooded animals

whose bite is poisonous.

Arthur

Schopenhauer.

1788-1860

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

By the late 1920s, Haile Selassie had nearly achieved his goal of

assuming total control over Ethiopia, a country he felt needed strong and

unified leadership. As regent to the empress Zauditu (stepdaughter of the

late queen) and heir to the throne, Selassie had spent several years

weakening the power of Ethiopia's various warlords. Now only one real

obstacle stood

THK MONKEY AND THE WASP

A monkey, whilst munching a ripe pear, was pestered by the bare-faced

importunities of a wasp, who, nolens volens, would have a part. After

threatening the monkey with his anger if he further hesitated to submit to

his demand, he settled on the fruit; but was as soon knocked off by the

monkey. The irritable wasp now had recourse to invectiveand, after using

the most insulting language, which the other calmly listened to, he so

worked himself up into violent passion that, losing all consideration of the

penalty, he flew to the face of the monkey, and stung him with such rage

that he was unable to extricate his weapon, and was compelled to tear

himself away, leaving it in the woundthus entailing on himself a lingering

death, accompanied by pains much greater than those he had inflicted.

FABLF.S,

Jonathan Birch, 1783-1847

in his way: the empress and her husband, Ras Gugsa. Selassie knew the

royal couple hated him and wanted to get rid of him, so to cut short their

plotting he made Gugsa the governor of the northern province of

Begemeder, forcing him to leave the capital, where the empress lived.

For several years Gugsa played the loyal administrator. But Selassie did

not trust him: He knew that Gugsa and the empress were plotting revenge.

As time passed and Gugsa made no move, the chances of a plot only

increased. Selassie knew what he had to do: draw Gugsa out, get under his

skin, and push him into action before he was ready.

For several years, a northern tribe, the Azebu Gallas, had been in virtual

rebellion against the throne, robbing and pillaging local villages and

refusing to pay taxes. Selassie had done nothing to stop them, letting them

grow stronger. Finally, in 1929, he ordered Ras Gugsa to lead an army

against these disobedient tribesmen. Gugsa agreed, but inwardly he

seethedhe had no grudge against the Azebu Gallas, and the demand that he

fight them hurt his pride. He could not disobey die order, but as he worked

to put together an army, he began to spread an ugly rumorthat Selassie was

in cahoots with the pope, and planned to convert the country to Roman

Catholicism and make it a colony of Italy. Gugsa's army swelled, and some

of the tribes from which its soldiers came secredy agreed to fight Selassie.

In March of 1930 an enormous force of 35,000 men began to march, not on

the Azebu Gallas but south, toward the capital of Addis Ababa. Made

confident by his growing strength, Gugsa now openly led a holy war to

depose Selassie and put the country back in the hands of true Christians.

He did not see the trap that had been laid for him. Before Selassie had

ordered Gugsa to fight the Azebu Gallas, he had secured the support of the

Ethiopian church. And before the revolt got underway, he had bribed

several of Gugsa's key allies not to show up for battle. As the rebel army

marched south, airplanes flew overhead dropping leaflets announcing that

the highest church officials had recognized Selassie as die true Christian

leader of Ethiopia, and that tiiey had excommunicated Gugsa for fomenting

a civil war. These leaflets severely blunted the emotions behind the holy

crusade. And as batde loomed and the support that Gugsa's allies had

promised him failed to show up, soldiers began to flee or defect.

When the batde came, the rebel army quicky collapsed. Refusing to

surrender, Ras Gugsa was killed in die fighting. The empress, distraught

over her husband's death, died a few days later. On April 30, Selassie issued

a formal proclamation announcing his new tide: Emperor of Ethiopia.

Interpretation

Haile Selassie always saw several moves ahead. He knew that if he let

Ras Gugsa decide die time and place of the revolt, the danger would be

much greater than if he forced Gugsa to act on Selassie's terms. So he

goaded him into rebellion by offending his manly pride, asking him to fight

people he had no quarrel with on behalf of a man he hated. Thinking

everything out

ahead, Selassie made sure that Gugsa's rebellion would come to

nothing, and mat he could use it to do away with his last two enemies.

This is the essence of the Law: When the waters are still, your

opponents have the time and space to plot actions that they will initiate and

control. So stir the waters, force the fish to the surface, get them to act

before they are ready, steal the initiative. The best way to do this is to play

on uncontrollable emotionspride, vanity, love, hate. Once die water is

stirred up, the little fish cannot help but rise to the bait. The angrier they

become, the less control they have, and finally they are caught in the

whirlpool you have made, and they drown.

A sovereign should never launch an army out of anger, a leader should

never start a war out of wrath.

Sun-tzu, fourth century B. c.

KEYS TO POWER

Angry people usually end up looking ridiculous, for their response

seems out of proportion to what occasioned it. They have taken things too

seriously, exaggerating the hurt or insult that has been done to them. They

are so sensitive to slight that it becomes comical how much diey take

personally. More comical still is their belief that their outbursts signify

power. The truth is the opposite: Petulance is not power, it is a sign of

helplessness. People may temporarily be cowed by your tantrums, but in the

end they lose respect for you. They also realize they can easily undermine a

person with so little self-control.

The answer, however, is not to repress our angry or emotional

responses. For repression drains us of energy and pushes us into strange

behavior. Instead we have to change our perspective: We have to realize

that nothing in the social realm, and in the game of power, is personal.

Everyone is caught up in a chain of events that long predates the present

moment. Our anger often stems from problems in our childhood, from the

problems of our parents which stem from their own childhood, on and on.

Our anger also has roots in the many interactions with others, the

accumulated disappointments and heartaches that we have suffered. An

individual will often appear as the instigator of our anger but it is much

more complicated, goes far beyond what that individual did to us. If a

person explodes with anger at you (and it seems out of proportion to what

you did to them), you must remind yourself that it is not exclusively

directed at you do not be so vain. The cause is much larger, goes way back

in time, involves dozens of prior hurts, and is actually not worth the bother

to understand. Instead of seeing it as a personal grudge, look at the

emotional outburst as a disguised power move, an attempt to control or

punish you cloaked in the form of hurt feelings and anger.

This shift of perspective will let you play the game of power with more

clarity and energy. Instead of overreacting, and becoming ensnared in peo-

DITCH HIGH PRIEST

Kin'yo, an officer of the second rank, had a brother called the High

Priest Ryogaku, an extremely bad-tempered man. Next to his monastery

grew a large nettle-tree which occasioned the nickname people gave him,

the Nettle-tree High Priest. “That name is outrageous,” said the high priest,

and cut down the tree. The stump still being left, people referred to him

now as the Stump High Priest. More furious than ever, Ryogaku had the

stump dug up and thrown away, but this left a big ditch. People now called

him the Ditch High Priest.

ESSAYS IN IDLENESS, KENKO,

Japan,

fourteenth century

pie's emotions, you will turn their loss of control to your advantage: You

keep your head while they are losing theirs.

During an important batde in the War of the Three Kingdoms, in die

third century A.D., advisers to die commander Ts'ao Ts'ao discovered

documents showing that certain of his generals had conspired with die

enemy, and urged him to arrest and execute diem. Instead he ordered the

documents burned and die matter forgotten. At this critical moment in the

battle, to get upset or demand justice would have reverberated against him:

An angry action would have called attention to die generals' disloyalty,

which would have harmed die troops' morale. Justice could waithe would

deal with the generals in time. Ts'ao Ts'ao kept his head and made the right

decision.

Compare this to Napoleon's response to Talleyrand: Instead of taking

the conspiracy personally, the emperor should have played the game like

Ts'ao Ts'ao, carefully weighing die consequences of any action he took. The

more powerful response in the end would have been to ignore Talleyrand,

or to bring the minister gradually back to his side and punish him later.

Anger only cuts off our options, and die powerful cannot thrive witii-out

options. Once you train yourself not to take matters personally, and to

control your emotional responses, you will have placed yourself in a

position of tremendous power: Now you can play with die emotional

responses of odier people. Stir die insecure into action by impugning their

manhood, and by dangling die prospect of an easy victory before tiieir

faces. Do as Houdini did when challenged by die less successful escape

artist Kleppini: Reveal an apparent weakness (Houdini let Kleppini steal the

combination for a pair of cuffs) to lure your opponent into action. Then you

can beat him with ease. Widi the arrogant too you can appear weaker tiian

you are, taunting diem into a rash action.

Sun Pin, commander of die armies of Ch'i and loyal disciple of Sun-tzu,

once led his troops against the armies of Wei, which outnumbered him two

to one. “Let us light a hundred thousand fires when our army enters Wei,”

suggested Sun Pin, “fifty thousand on die next day, and only thirty thousand

on the third.” On the tiiird day the Wei general exclaimed, “I knew the men

of Ch'i were cowards, and after only three days more than half of diem have

deserted!” So, leaving behind his slow-moving heavy infantry, the general

decided to seize the moment and move swiftly on die Ch'i camp with a

lightiy armed force. Sun Pin's troops retreated, luring Wei's army into a

narrow pass, where tiiey ambushed and destroyed diem. Widi die Wei

general dead and his forces decimated, Sun Pin now easily defeated the rest

of his army.

In the face of a hot-headed enemy, finally, an excellent response is no

response. Follow the Talleyrand tactic: Notiiing is as infuriating as a man

who keeps his cool while others are losing theirs. If it will work to your

advantage to unsetde people, affect die aristocratic, bored pose, neimer

mocking nor triumphant but simply indifferent. This will light tiieir fuse.

When they embarrass themselves with a temper tantrum, you will have

gained several victories, one of these being that in the face of their

childishness you have maintained your dignity and composure.

Image: The Pond of Fish. The waters are clear and calm, and the fish

are well below the surface. Stir the waters and they emerge. Stir it some

more and they get angry, rising to the surface, biting whatever comes near-

including a freshly baited hook.

Authority: If your opponent is of a hot temper, try to irritate him. If he is

arrogant, try to encourage his egotism. . . . One who is skilled at making the

enemy move does so by creating a situation according to which the enemy

will act; he entices the enemy with something he is certain to take. He keeps

the enemy on the move by holding out bait and then attacks him with

picked troops. (Sun-tzu, fourth century B.C.)

REVERSAL

When playing with people's emotions you have to be careful. Study the

enemy beforehand: Some fish are best left at the bottom of the pond.

The leaders of the city of Tyre, capital of ancient Phoenicia, felt

confident they could withstand Alexander the Great, who had conquered the

Orient but had not attacked their city, which stood well protected on the

water. They sent ambassadors to Alexander saying that although they would

recognize him as emperor they would not allow him or his forces to enter

Tyre. This of course enraged him, and he immediately mounted a siege. For

four months the city withstood him, and finally he decided that the struggle

was not worth it, and that he would come to terms with the Tyrians. But

they, feeling that they had already baited Alexander and gotten away with it,

and confident that they could withstand him, refused to

negotiatein fact diey killed his messengers.

This pushed Alexander over die edge. Now it did not matter to him how

long the siege lasted or how large an army it needed; he had die resources,

and would do whatever it took. He remounted his assault so strenuously mat

he captured Tyre witiiin days, burned it to the ground, and sold its people

into slavery.

You can bait the powerful and get mem to commit and divide their

forces as Sun Pin did, but test die waters first. Find die gap in tiieir strengm.

If mere is no gapif diey are impossibly strongyou have nodiing to gain and

everydiing to lose by provoking diem. Choose carefully whom you bait, and

never stir up die sharks.

Finally mere are times when a well-timed burst of anger can do you

good, but your anger must be manufactured and under your control. Then

you can determine exacdy how and on whom it will fall. Never stir up

reactions mat will work against you in the long run. And use your tiiunder-

bolts rarely, to make diem die more intimidating and meaningful. Whedier

purposefully staged or not, if your outbursts come too often, they will lose

Uieir power.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 40

DESPISE THE FREE LUNCH

JUDGMENT

What is offered for free is dangerousit usually involves either a trick or

a hidden obligation. What has worth is worth paying for. By paying your

own way you stay clear of gratitude, guilt, and deceit. It is also often wise

to pay the full pricethere is no cutting corners with excellence. Be lavish

with your money and keep it circulating, for generosity is a sign and a

magnet for power.

HI Hill) THKASI HI.

Many weak-minded persons in cities hope to discover property under

the surface of the earth and to make some profit from it. In the Maghrib

there are many Berber “students” who are unable to make a living by

natural ways and means. They approach well-to-do people with papers that

have torn margins and contain either non-Arabic writing or what they claim

to be the translation of a document written by the owner of buried treasures,

giving the clue to the hiding place. In this way, they try to get their

sustenance by [persuading the well-to-do] to send them out to dig and hunt

for treasure. Occasionally, one of these treasure hunters displays strange

information or some remarkable trick of magic with which he fools people

into believing his other claims, although, in fact, he knows nothing of magic

and its procedures.... The things that have been said about /treasure hunting]

have no scientific basis, nor are they based upon [factual] information. It

should be realized that although treasures are found, this happens rarely and

by chance, not by systematic search.... Those who are deluded or afflicted

by these things must take refuge in God

MONEY AND POWER

In the realm of power, everything must be judged by its cost, and

everything has a price. What is offered for free or at bargain rates often

comes with a psychological price tagcomplicated feelings of obligation,

compromises with quality, the insecurity those compromises bring, on and

on. The powerful learn early to protect their most valuable resources:

independence and room to maneuver. By paying the full price, they keep

themselves free of dangerous entanglements and worries.

Being open and flexible with money also teaches the value of strategic

generosity, a variation on the old trick of “giving when you are about to

take.” By giving the appropriate gift, you put the recipient under obligation.

Generosity softens people upto be deceived. By gaining a reputation for

liberality, you win people's admiration while distracting them from your

power plays. By strategically spreading your wealth, you charm the other

courtiers, creating pleasure and making valuable allies.

Look at the masters of powerthe Caesars, the Queen Elizabeths, the

Michelangelos, the Medicis: Not a miser among them. Even the great con

artists spend freely to swindle. Tight purse strings are unattractivewhen

engaged in seduction, Casanova would give completely not only of himself

but of his wallet. The powerful understand that money is psychologically

charged, and that it is also a vessel of politeness and sociability. They make

the human side of money a weapon in their armory.

For everyone able to play with money, thousands more are locked in a

self-destructive refusal to use money creatively and strategically. These

types represent the opposite pole to the powerful, and you must learn to

recognize themeither to avoid their poisonous natures or to turn their

inflexibility to your advantage:

The Greedy Fish. The greedy fish take the human side out of money.

Cold and ruthless, they see only the lifeless balance sheet; viewing others

solely as either pawns or obstructions in their pursuit of wealth, they

trample on people's sentiments and alienate valuable allies. No one wants to

work with the greedy fish, and over the years they end up isolated, which

often proves their undoing.

Greedy fish are the con artist's bread and butter: Lured by the bait of

easy money, they swallow the ruse hook, line, and sinker. They are easy to

deceive, for they spend so much time dealing with numbers (not with

people) that they become blind to psychology, including their own. Either

avoid them before they exploit you or play on their greed to your gain.

The Bargain Demon. Powerful people judge everything by what it costs,

not just in money but in time, dignity, and peace of mind. And this is

exactly what Bargain Demons cannot do. Wasting valuable time digging for

bargains, they worry endlessly about what they could have gotten elsewhere

for a litde less. On top of that, the bargain item they do buy is often shabby;

perhaps it needs costly repairs, or will have to be replaced twice as

fast as a high-quality item. The costs of these pursuitsnot always in

money (though the price of a bargain is often deceptive) but in time and

peace of minddiscourage normal people from undertaking mem, but for the

Bargain Demon the bargain is an end in itself.

These types might seem to harm only themselves, but their attitudes are

contagious: Unless you resist them they will infect you with the insecure

feeling that you should have looked harder to find a cheaper price. Don't

argue with them or try to change diem. Just mentally add up the cost, in

time and inner peace if not in hidden financial expense, of the irrational

pursuit of a bargain.

from their inability to make a living and their laziness in this respect.

They should not occupy themselves with absurdities and untrue stories.

THE MUOADDIMAH, IBN KhALDUN,

1332-1406

The Sadist. Financial sadists play vicious power games with money as a

way of asserting their power. They might, for example, make you wait for

money that is owed you, promising you that the check is in the mail. Or if

they hire you to work for diem, they meddle in every aspect of the job,

haggling and giving you ulcers. Sadists seem to think that paying for

something gives them the right to torture and abuse the seller. They have no

sense of the courtier element in money. If you are unlucky enough to get

involved with this type, accepting a financial loss may be better in the long

run than getting entangled in their destructive power games.

The Indiscriminate Giver. Generosity has a definite function in power: It

attracts people, softens diem up, makes allies out of diem. But it has to be

used strategically, with a definite end in mind. Indiscriminate Givers, on the

other hand, are generous because they want to be loved and admired by all.

And their generosity is so indiscriminate and needy mat it may not have the

desired effect: If they give to one and all, why should die recipient feel

special Attractive as it may seem to make an Indiscriminate Giver your

mark, in any involvement with this type you will often feel burdened by

their insatiable emotional needs.

TRANSGRESSIONS OF THE LAW

Transgression I

After Francisco Pizarro conquered Peru, in 1532, gold from the Incan

Empire began to pour into Spain, and Spaniards of all classes started

dreaming of the instant riches to be had in the New World. The story soon

spread of an Indian chief to the east of Peru who once each year would

ritually cover himself in gold dust and dive into a lake. Soon word of mouth

transformed El Dorado, the “Golden Man,” into an empire called El

Dorado, wealthier than the Incan, where the streets were paved and the

buildings inlaid with gold. This elaboration of die story did not seem

implausible, for surely a diief who could afford to waste gold dust in a lake

must rule a golden empire. Soon Spaniards were searching for El Dorado all

over northern South America.

THE MISKR

A miser, to make sure of his property, sold all that he had and converted

it into a great lump of gold, which he hid in a hole in the ground, and went

continually to visit and inspect it. This roused the curiosity of one of his

workmen, who, suspecting that there was a treasure, when his master's back

was turned, went to the spot, and stole it away. When the miser returned and

found the place empty, he wept and tore his hair. But a neighbor who saw

him in this extravagant grief, and learned the cause of it, said: “Fret thyself

no longer, but take a stone and put it in the same place, and think that it is

your lump of gold; for, as you never meant to use it, the one will do you as

much good as the other.”

The worth of money is not in its possession, but in its use.

FABLES,

Aesop,

sixth century b.c.

There is a popular saying in Japan that goes “Tada yori takai mono wa

nai,” meaning: “Nothing is more costly than something given free of

charge.”

THE UNSPOKEN WAY, MlCHIHIRO

Matsumoto, 1988

Yusuf lbn Jafar el-Amudl used to take sums of money, sometimes very

large ones, from those who came to study with him. A distinguished legalist

visiting him once said: “I am enchanted and impressed by your teachings,

and I am sure that you are directing your disciples in a proper manner. But

it is not in accordance with tradition to take money for knowledge. Besides,

the action is open to misinterpretation.” El-Amudi said: "I have never sold

any knowledge. There is no money on earth sufficient to pay for it. As for

misinterpretation, the abstaining from taking money will not prevent it, for

it will find some other object. Rather should you know that a man who

takes money may be greedy for money, or he may not. But a man who takes

nothing at all is under the gravest

In February of 1541, the largest expedition yet in diis venture, led by

Pizarro's brother Gonzalo, left Quito, in Ecuador. Resplendent in their

armors and colorful silks, 340 Spaniards headed east, along with 4,000

Indians to carry supplies and serve as scouts, 4,000 swine, dozens of llamas,

and close to 1,000 dogs. But the expedition was soon hit by torrential rain,

which rotted its gear and spoiled its food. Meanwhile, as Gonzalo Pizarro

questioned die Indians diey met along the way, diose who seemed to be

widiholding information, or who had not even heard of die fabulous

kingdom, he would torture and feed to the dogs. Word of the Spaniards'

mur-derousness spread quickly among the Indians, who realized that the

only way to avoid Gonzalo's wrath was to make up stories about El Dorado

and send him as far away as possible. As Gonzalo and his men followed die

leads die Indians gave diem, dien, they were only led farther into deep

jungle.

The explorers' spirits sagged. Their uniforms had long since shredded;

their armor rusted and they threw it away; their shoes were torn to pieces,

forcing Uiem to walk barefoot; the Indian slaves they had set out with had

either died or deserted them; diey had eaten not only the swine but the

hunting dogs and llamas. They lived on roots and fruit. Realizing that they

could not continue this way, Pizarro decided to risk river travel, and a barge

was built out of rotting wood. But die journey down die treacherous Napo

River proved no easier. Setting up camp on die river's edge, Gonzalo sent

scouts ahead on the barge to find Indian settlements with food. He waited

and waited for the scouts to return, only to find out they had decided to

desert the expedition and continue down the river on their own.

The rain continued without end. Gonzalo's men forgot about El Dorado;

diey wanted only to return to Quito. Finally, in August of 1542, a little over

a hundred men, from an expedition originally numbering in the thousands,

managed to find their way back. To the residents of Quito they seemed to

have emerged from hell itself, wrapped in tatters and skins, dieir bodies

covered in sores, and so emaciated as to be unrecognizable. For over a year

and a half diey had marched in an enormous circle, two tiiou-sand miles by

foot. The vast sums of money invested in die expedition had yielded

nothingno sign of El Dorado and no sign of gold. Interpretation

Even after Gonzalo Pizarro's disaster, the Spaniards launched expedition

after expedition in search of El Dorado. And like Pizarro the conquistadors

would burn and loot villages, torture Indians, endure unimaginable

hardships, and get no closer to gold. The money they spent on such

expeditions cannot be calculated; yet despite die futility of the search, the

lure of the fantasy endured.

Not only did die search for El Dorado cost millions of livesboth Indian

and Spanishit helped bring the ruin of die Spanish empire. Gold became

Spain's obsession. The gold diat did find its way back to Spainand a lot

didwas reinvested in more expeditions, or in die purchase of luxuries, ratiier

dian in agriculture or any other productive endeavor. Whole Spanish towns

were depopulated as dieir menfolk left to hunt gold. Farms

fell into ruin, and die army had no recruits for its European wars. By the

end of the seventeenth century, the entire country had shrunk by more than

half of its population; the city of Madrid had gone from a population of

400,000 to 150,000. With diminishing returns from its efforts over so many

years, Spain fell into a decline from which it never recovered.

Power requires self-discipline. The prospect of wealdi, particularly easy,

sudden wealth, plays havoc with the emotions. The suddenly rich believe

that more is always possible. The free lunch, die money that will fall into

your lap, is just around the corner.

In this delusion the greedy neglect everything power really depends on:

self-control, the goodwill of others, and so on. Understand: Widi one

exceptiondeathno lasting change in fortune comes quickly. Sudden wealdi

rarely lasts, for it is built on nothing solid. Never let lust for money lure you

out of the protective and enduring fortress of real power. Make power your

goal and money will find its way to you. Leave El Dorado for suckers and

fools.

Transgression II

In the early eighteenth century, no one stood higher in English society

than the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough. The duke, having led

successful campaigns against die French, was considered Europe's premier

general and strategist. And his wife, the duchess, after much maneuvering,

had established herself as die favorite of Queen Anne, who became ruler of

England in 1702. In 1704 die duke's triumph at die Battle of Blenheim

made him die toast of England, and to honor him die queen awarded him a

large plot of land in die town of Woodstock, and die funds to create a great

palace mere. Calling his planned home die Palace of Blenheim, die duke

chose as his architect the young John Vanbrugh, a kind of Renaissance man

who wrote plays as well as designed buildings. And so construction began,

in die summer of 1705, with much fanfare and great hopes.

Vanbrugh had a dramatist's sense of architecture. His palace was to be a

monument to Marlborough's brilliance and power, and was to include

artificial lakes, enormous bridges, elaborate gardens, and other fantastical

touches. From day one, however, die duchess could not be pleased: She

thought Vanbrugh was wasting money on yet another stand of trees; she

wanted die palace finished as soon as possible. The duchess tortured

Vanbrugh and his workmen on every detail. She was consumed with petty

matters; aldiough die government was paying for Blenheim, she counted

every penny. Eventually her grumbling, about Blenheim and other things

too, created an irreparable rift between her and Queen Anne, who, in 1711,

dismissed her from the court, ordering her to vacate her apartments at the

royal palace. When die duchess left (fuming over the loss of her position,

and also of her royal salary), she emptied die apartment of every fixture

down to the brass doorknobs.

Over the next ten years, work on Blenheim would stop and start, as the

funds became harder to procure from die government. The duchess

suspicion of robbing the disciple of his soul. People who say, 'I take

nothing,' may be found to take away the volition of their victim."

the dermis probe, Idries Shah, 1970

TDK MAIS WHO

LOVED MONEY BETTEK

THAN LIFE

In ancient times there was an old woodcutter who went to the mountain

almost every day to cut wood. It was said that this old man was a miser who

hoarded his silver until It changed to gold, and that he cared more for gold

than anything else in all the world. One day a wilderness tiger sprang at him

and though he ran he could not escape, and the tiger carried him off in its

mouth.

The woodcutter's son saw his father's danger, and ran to save him if

possible. He carried a long knife, and as he could run faster than the tiger,

who had a man to carry, he soon overtook them. His father was not much

hurt, for the tiger held him by his clothes. When the old woodcutter saw his

son about to stab the tiger he called out in great alarm: "Do not spoil the

tiger's skin! Do not spoil the tiger's skin! If you can kill him without cutting

holes in his

skin we ean get many

pieces of silver for it.

Kill him, but do not cut

his body."

While the son was

listening to his father's

instructions the tiger

suddenly dashed off

into the forest, carrying

the old man where the

son could not reach

him, and he was soon

killed.

“Chinese table,”

various kables

from various places,

Diane di Prima, ed.,

It is written in the histories of the prophets that Moses was sent to

Pharaoh with many miracles, wonders and honors. Now the daily ration for

Pharaoh's table was 4,000 sheep, 400 cows, 200 camels, and a

corresponding amount of chickens, fish, beverages, fried meats, sweets, and

other things. All the people of Egypt and all his army used to eat at his table

every day. For 400 years he had claimed divinity and never ceased

providing this food. When Moses prayed, saying, “O Lord, destroy

Pharaoh,” God answered his prayer and said, “/ shall destroy him in water,

and I shall bestow all his wealth and that of his soldiers on you and your

peoples. ” Several

thought Vanbrugh was out to ruin her. She quibbled over every carload

of stone and bushel of lime, counted every extra yard of iron railing or foot

of wainscot, hurling abuse at the wasteful workmen, contractors, and

surveyors. Marlborough, old and weary, wanted noming more than to settle

into the palace in his last years, but the project became bogged down in a

swamp of litigation, the workmen suing the duchess for wages, the duchess

suing the architect right back. In die midst of this interminable wrangling,

the duke died. He had never spent a night in his beloved Blenheim.

After Marlborough's death, it became clear mat he had a vast estate,

worm over £2 millionmore man enough to pay for finishing die palace. But

the duchess would not relent: She held back Vanbrugh's wages as well as

the workmen's, and finally had the architect dismissed. The man who took

his place finished Blenheim in a few years, following Vanbrugh's designs to

the letter. Vanbrugh died in 1726, locked out of the palace by the duchess,

unable to set foot in his greatest creation. Foreshadowing the romantic

movement, Blenheim had started a whole new trend in architecture, but had

given its creator a twenty-year nightmare. Interpretation

For die Duchess of Marlborough, money was a way to play sadistic

power games. She saw the loss of money as a symbolic loss of power. With

Vanbrugh her contortions went deeper still: He was a great artist, and she

envied his power to create, to attain a fame outside her reach. She may not

have had his gifts, but she did have the money to torture and abuse him over

the pettiest detailsto ruin his life.

This kind of sadism, however, bears an awful price. It made

construction that should have lasted ten years take twenty. It poisoned many

a relationship, alienated the duchess from the court, deeply pained the duke

(who wanted only to live peacefully in Blenheim), created endless lawsuits,

and took years off Vanbrugh's life. Finally, too, posterity had the last word:

Vanbrugh is recognized as a genius while the duchess is forever

remembered for her consummate cheapness.

The powerful must have grandeur of spiritthey can never reveal any

pettiness. And money is the most visible arena in which to display either

grandeur or pettiness. Best spend freely, then, and create a reputation for

generosity, which in the end will pay great dividends. Never let financial

details blind you to the bigger picture of how people perceive you. Their

resentment will cost you in the long run. And if you want to meddle in the

work of creative people under your hire, at least pay diem well. Your money

will buy their submission better tiian your displays of power.

OBSERVANCES OF THE LAW

Observance I

Pietro Aretino, son of a lowly shoemaker, had catapulted himself into

fame as a writer of biting satires. But like every Renaissance artist, he

needed to find a patron who would give him a comfortable lifestyle while

not inter-

fering with his work. In 1528 Aretino decided to attempt a new strategy

in the patronage game. Leaving Rome, he established himself in Venice,

where few had heard of him. He had a fair amount of money he had

managed to save, but little else. Soon after he moved into his new home,

however, he threw open its doors to rich and poor, regaling them with

banquets and amusements. He befriended each and every gondolier, tipping

mem royally. In the streets, he spread his money liberally, giving it away to

beggars, orphans, washerwomen. Among the city's commoners, word

quickly spread that Aretino was more than just a great writer, he was a man

of powera kind of lord.

Artists and men of influence soon began to frequent Aretino's house.

Within a few years he made himself a celebrity; no visiting dignitary would

think of leaving Venice without paying him a call. His generosity had cost

him most of his savings, but had bought him influence and a good name a

cornerstone in the foundation of power. Since in Renaissance Italy as

elsewhere the ability to spend freely was the privilege of the rich, the

aristocracy thought Aretino had to be a man of influence, since he spent

money like one. And since the influence of a man of influence is worth

buying, Aretino became the recipient of all sorts of gifts and moneys.

Dukes and duchesses, wealthy merchants, and popes and princes competed

to gain his favor, and showered him with all kinds of presents.

Aretino's spending habits, of course, were strategic, and the strategy

worked like a charm. But for real money and comfort he needed a great

patron's bottomless pockets. Having surveyed the possibilities, he

eventually set his sights on the extremely wealthy Marquis of Mantua, and

wrote an epic poem that he dedicated to the marquis. This was a common

practice of writers looking for patronage: In exchange for a dedication they

would get a small stipend, enough to write yet another poem, so that they

spent their lives in a kind of constant servility. Aretino, however, wanted

power, not a measly wage. He might dedicate a poem to the marquis, but he

would offer it to him as a gift, implying by doing so that he was not a hired

hack looking for a stipend but that he and the marquis were equals.

Aretino's gift-giving did not stop there: As a close friend of two of

Venice's greatest artists, the sculptor Jacopo Sansovino and the painter

Titian, he convinced these men to participate in his gift-giving scheme.

Aretino had studied the marquis before going to work on him, and knew his

taste inside and out; he was able to advise Sansovino and Titian what

subject matter would please the marquis most. When he then sent a

Sansovino sculpture and a Titian painting to the marquis as gifts from all

three of them, the man was beside himself with joy.

Over die next few months, Aretino sent other giftsswords, saddles, the

glass that was a Venetian specialty, tilings he knew the marquis prized.

Soon he, Titian, and Sansovino began to receive gifts from the marquis in

return. And the strategy went further: When the son-in-law of a friend of

Aretino's found himself in jail in Mantua, Aretino was able to get the

marquis to arrange his release. Aretino's friend, a wealthy merchant, was a

man of great influence in Venice; by turning the goodwill he had built up

years passed by after this promise, and Pharaoh, doomed to ruin,

continued to live in all his magnificence. Moses was impatient for God to

destroy Pharaoh quickly, and he could not endure to wait any longer. So he

fasted for forty days and went to Mount Sinai, and in his communing with

god he said, "O Lord, Thou didst promise that Thou wouldst destroy

Pharaoh, and still he has forsaken none of his blasphemies and pretensions.

So when wilt Thou destroy him1'

A voice came from The Truth saying, “O Moses, you want Me to

destroy Pharaoh as quickly as possible, but a thousand times a thousand of

My servants want Me never to do so, because they partake of his bounty

and enjoy tranquillity under his rule. By My power I swear that as long as

he provides abundant food and comfort for My creatures, I shall not destroy

him.” Moses said, “Then when will Thy promise be fulfilled ” God said,

“My promise will be fulfilled when he withholds his provision from My

creatures. If ever he begins to lessen his bounty, know that his hour is

drawing near. ”

It chanced that one day Pharaoh said to Haman, "Moses has gathered

the Sons of Israel about him and is causing us disquiet. We know not what

will be

the issue of his affair with us. We must keep our stores full lest at any

time we be without resources. So we must halve our daily rations and keep

the saving in reserve." He deducted 2,000 sheep, 200 cows, and a 100

camels, and similarly every two or three days reduced the ration. Moses

then knew that the promise of The Truth was near to fulfillment, for

excessive economy is a sign of decline and a bad omen. The masters of

tradition say that on the day when Pharaoh was drowned only two ewes had

been killed in his kitchen. Nothing is better than generosity... .If a man is

rich and desires, without a royal charter, to act like a lord; if he wants men

to humble themselves before him, to revere him and call him lord and

prince, then tell him every day to spread a table with victuals. All those who

have acquired renown in the world, have gained it mainly through

hospitality, while the miserly and avaricious are despised in both WorldStar,

BOOK OF government or rules for kings, Nizam al-Mulk, eleventh century

with the marquis to use, Aretino had now bought this man's

indebtedness, too, and he in turn would help Aretino when he could. The

circle of influence was growing wider. Time and again, Aretino was able to

cash in on the immense political power of the marquis, who also helped him

in his many court romances.

Eventually, however, the relationship became strained, as Aretino came

to feel that the marquis should have requited his generosity better. But he

would not lower himself to begging or whining: Since the exchange of gifts

between the two men had made them equals, it would not seem right to

bring up money. He simply withdrew from the marquis's circle and hunted

for other wealthy prey, settling first on the French king Francis, then the

Medicis, the Duke of Urbino, Emperor Charles V, and more. In the end,

having many patrons meant he did not have to bow to any of them, and his

power seemed comparable to that of a great lord. Interpretation

Aretino understood two fundamental properties of money: First, that it

has to circulate to bring power. What money should buy is not lifeless

objects but power over people. By keeping money in constant circulation,

Aretino bought an ever-expanding circle of influence tfiat in the end more

than compensated him for his expenses.

Second, Aretino understood the key property of the gift. To give a gift is

to imply that you and the recipient are equals at the very least, or that you

are the recipient's superior. A gift also involves an indebtedness or

obligation; when friends, for instance, offer you something for free, you can

be sure they expect something in return, and that to get it they are making

you feel indebted. (The mechanism may or may not be entirely conscious

on their part, but this is how it works.)

Aretino avoided such encumbrances on his freedom. Instead of acting

like a menial who expects the powerful to pay his way in life, he turned the

whole dynamic around; instead of being indebted to the powerful, he made

the powerful indebted to him. This was the point of his gift-giving, a ladder

that carried him to the highest social levels. By the end of his life he had

become the most famous writer in Europe.

Understand: Money may determine power relationships, but those

relationships need not depend on the amount of money you have; they also

depend on the way you use it. Powerful people give freely, buying influence

rather than things. If you accept the inferior position because you have no

fortune yet, you may find yourself in it forever. Play the trick that Aretino

played on Italy's aristocracy: Imagine yourself an equal. Play the lord, give

freely, open your doors, circulate your money, and create the facade of

power through an alchemy that transforms money into influence.

Observance II

Soon after Baron James Rothschild made his fortune in Paris in the

early 1820s, he faced his most intractable problem: How could a Jew and a

German, a total outsider to French society, win the respect of the

xenophobic French upper classes Rothschild was a man who understood

powerhe

knew that his fortune would bring him status, but that if he remained

socially alienated neither his status nor his fortune would last. So he looked

at the society of die time and asked what would win their hearts.

Charity The French couldn't care less. Political influence He already had

that, and if anything it only made people more suspicious of him. The one

weak spot, he decided, was boredom. In the period of the restoration of the

monarchy, the French upper classes were bored. So Rothschild began to

spend astounding sums of money on entertaining them. He hired the best

architects in France to design his gardens and ballroom; he hired Marie-

Antoine Careme, the most celebrated French chef, to prepare die most

lavish parties Paris had ever witnessed; no Frenchman could resist, even if

the parties were given by a German Jew. Rothschild's weekly soirees began

to attract bigger and bigger numbers. Over the next few years he won the

only thing that would secure an outsider's power: social acceptance.

Interpretation

Strategic generosity is always a great weapon in building a support

base, particularly for die outsider. But die Baron de Rodischild was cleverer

still: He knew it was his money mat had created the barrier between him

and the French, making him look ugly and untrustworthy. The best way to

overcome this was literally to waste huge sums, a gesture to show he valued

French culture and society over money. What Rothschild did resembled the

famous podatch feasts of the American Northwest: By periodically

destroying its wealth in a giant orgy of festivals and bonfires, an Indian

tribe would symbolize its power over other tribes. The base of its power

was not money but its ability to spend, and its confidence in a superiority

diat would restore to it all diat die podatch had destroyed.

In the end, the baron's soirees reflected his desire to mingle not just in

France's business world but in its society. By wasting money on his pot-

latches, he hoped to demonstrate that his power went beyond money into

the more precious realm of culture. Rothschild may have won social

acceptance by spending money, but die support base he gained was one diat

money alone could not buy. To secure his fortune he had to “waste” it. That

is strategic generosity in a nutshelldie ability to be flexible with your

wealdi, putting it to work, not to buy objects, but to win people's hearts.

Observance III

The Medicis of Renaissance Florence had built dieir immense power on

the fortune diey had made in banking. But in Florence, centuries-old

republic diat it was, die idea diat money bought power went against all the

city's proud democratic values. Cosimo de' Medici, die first of die family to

gain great fame, worked around diis by keeping a low profile. He never

flaunted his wealdi. But by die time his grandson Lorenzo came of age, in

the 1470s, the family's wealdi was too large, and tiieir influence too

noticeable, to be disguised any longer.

Lorenzo solved die problem in his own way by developing die strategy

of distraction diat has served people of wealdi ever since: He became

THE FLAME-COLORED CLOAK

During the campaign of Cambyses in Egypt, a great many Greeks

visited that country for one reason or another: some, as was to be expected,

for trade, some to serve in the army, others, no doubt, out of mere curiosity,

to see what they could see. Amongst the sightseers was Aeaces's son Sylo-

son, the exiled brother of Poly crates of Samos. While he was in Egypt,

Syloson had an extraordinary stroke of luck: he was hanging about the

streets of Memphis dressed in a flame-colored cloak, when Darius, who at

that time was a member of Cambyses's guard and not yet of any particular

importance, happened to catch sight of him and, seized with a sudden

longing to possess the cloak, came up to Syloson and made him an offer for

it.

His extreme anxiety to get it was obvious enough to Syloson, who was

inspired to say: “1 am not selling this for any money, but if you must have

it, I will give it to you for free.” Darius thereupon thanked him warmly and

took it. Syloson at the moment merely thought he had lost it by his foolish

good nature; then came the death of Cambyses and the revolt of the seven

against the Magus, and Darius ascended the throne. Syloson now

had the news that the man whose request for the flame-colored cloak he

had formerly gratified in Egypt had become king of Persia. He hurried to

Susa, sat down at the entrance of the royal palace, and claimed to be

included in the official list of the king's benefactors. The sentry on guard

reported his claim to Darius, who asked in surprise who the man might be.

“For surely,” he said, “as I have so recently come to the throne, there cannot

be any Greek to whom 1 am indebted for a service. Hardly any of them

have been here yet, and I certainly cannot remember owing anything to a

Greek. But bring him in all the same, that I may know what he means by

this claim. ” The guard escorted Syloson into the royal presence, and when

the interpreters asked him who he was and what he had done to justify the

statement that he was the king's benefactor, he reminded Darius of the story

of the cloak, and said that he was the man who had given it him. “Sir, ”

exclaimed Darius, "you are the most generous of men; for while I was still a

person of no power or consequence you gave me a presentsmall indeed, but

deserving then as much gratitude from me as would the most splendid of

gifts today. I will give you in return more silver and gold than you can

count, that you may

the most illustrious patron of the arts that history has ever known. Not

only did he spend lavishly on paintings, he created Italy's finest apprentice

schools for young artists. It was in one of these schools that the young

Michelangelo first caught the attention of Lorenzo, who invited the artist to

come and live in his house. He did the same with Leonardo da Vinci. Once

under his wing, Michelangelo and Leonardo requited his generosity by

becoming loyal artists in his stable.

Whenever Lorenzo faced an enemy, he would wield the weapon of

patronage. When Pisa, Florence's traditional enemy, threatened to rebel

against it in 1472, Lorenzo placated its people by pouring money into its

university, which had once been its pride and joy but had long ago lost its

luster. The Pisans had no defense against this insidious maneuver, which

simultaneously fed tfieir love of culture and blunted their desire for battle.

Interpretation

Lorenzo undoubtedly loved the arts, but his patronage of artists had a

practical function as well, of which he was keenly aware. In Florence at die

time, banking was perhaps die least admired way of making money, and

was certainly not a respected source of power. The arts were at the other

pole, the pole of quasi-religious transcendence. By spending on die arts,

Lorenzo diluted people's opinions of the ugly source of his wealth,

disguising himself in nobility. There is no better use of strategic generosity

man mat of distracting attention from an unsavory reality and wrapping

oneself in the mantle of art or religion.

Observance IV

Louis XIV had an eagle eye for the strategic power of money. When he

came to the throne, the powerful nobility had recendy proven a thorn in the

monarchy's side, and seethed with rebelliousness. So he impoverished diese

aristocrats by making them spend enormous sums on maintaining their

position in the court. Making them dependent on royal largesse for their

livelihood, he had them in his claws.

Next Louis brought the nobles to their knees with strategic generosity. It

would work like this: Whenever he noticed a stubborn courtier whose

influence he needed to gain, or whose troublemaking he needed to squelch,

he would use his vast wealth to soften the soil. First he would ignore his

victim, making the man anxious. Then the man would suddenly find that his

son had been given a well-paid post, or that funds had been spent liberally

in his home region, or mat he had been given a painting he had long

coveted. Presents would flow from Louis's hands. Finally, weeks or months

later, Louis would ask for die favor he had needed all along. A man who

had once vowed to do anything to stop the king would find he had lost the

desire to fight. A straightforward bribe would have made him rebellious;

this was far more insidious. Facing hardened earth in which nothing could

take root, Louis loosened the soil before he planted his seeds. Interpretation

Louis understood that there is a deep-rooted emotional element in our

attitude to money, an element going back to childhood. When we are chil-

dren, all kinds of complicated feelings about our parents center around

gifts; we see die giving of a gift as a sign of love and approval. And that

emotional element never goes away. The recipients of gifts, financial or

otherwise, are suddenly as vulnerable as children, especially when the gift

comes from someone in authority. They cannot help opening up; their will

is loosened, as Louis loosened the soil.

To succeed best, the gift should come out of the blue. It should be

remarkable for the fact that a gift like it has never been given before, or for

being preceded by a cold shoulder from the giver. The more often you give

to particular people, the blunter this weapon becomes. If they don't take

your gifts for granted, becoming monsters of ingratitude, they will resent

what appears to be charity. The sudden, unexpected, one-time gift will not

spoil your children; it will keep them under your thumb.

Observance V

The antique dealer Fushimiya, who lived in the city of Edo (former

name for Tokyo) in the seventeenth century, once made a stop at a village

teahouse. After enjoying a cup of tea, he spent several minutes scrutinizing

the cup, which he eventually paid for and took away with him. A local

artisan, watching this, waited until Fushimiya left the shop, then approached

the old woman who owned the teahouse and asked her who tiiis man was.

She told him it was Japan's most famous connoisseur, antique dealer to die

lord of Izumo. The artisan ran out of the shop, caught up with Fushimiya,

and begged him to sell him the cup, which must clearly be valuable if

Fushimiya judged it so. Fushimiya laughed heartily: “It's just an ordinary

cup of Bizen ware,” he explained, “and it is not valuable at all. The reason I

was looking at it was that the steam seemed to hang about it strangely and I

wondered if there wasn't a leak somewhere.” (Devotees of the Tea

Ceremony were interested in any odd or accidental beauty in nature.) Since

die artisan still seemed so excited about it, Fushimiya gave him the cup for

free.

The artisan took die cup around, trying to find an expert who would

appraise it at a high price, but since all of them recognized it as an ordinary

teacup he got nowhere. Soon he was neglecting his own business, thinking

only of die cup and die fortune it could bring. Finally he went to Edo to talk

to Fushimiya at his shop. There the dealer, realizing that he had

inadvertently caused this man pain by making him believe the cup had great

worth, paid him 100 ryo (gold pieces) for the cup as a kindness. The cup

was indeed mediocre, but he wanted to rid the artisan of his obsession,

while also allowing him to feel tiiat his effort had not been wasted. The

artisan thanked him and went on his way.

Soon word spread of Fushimiya's purchase of the teacup. Every dealer

in Japan clamored for him to sell it, since a cup he had bought for 100 ryo

must be worth much more. He tried to explain the circumstances in which

he had bought die cup, but the dealers could not be dissuaded. Fushimiya

finally relented and put die cup up for sale.

During the auction, two buyers simultaneously bid 200 ryo for the

teacup, and then began to fight over who had bid first. Their fighting

never regret that you onee did a favor to Darius the son of Hystaspes.“

”My lord,“ replied Syloson, ”do not give me gold or silver, but recover

Samos for me, my native island, which now since Oroetes killed my brother

Poly-crates is in the hands of one of our servants. Let Samos be your gift to

mebut let no man in the island be killed or enslaved." Darius consented to

Syloson's request, and dispatched a force under the command of Otanes,

one of the seven, with orders to do everything that Syloson had asked.

the histories, Herodotus, fifth century b.c.

Money is never spent to so much advantage as when you have been

cheated out of it; for at one stroke you have purchased prudence.

Arthur

Schopenhauer,

1788-1860

Kung-yi Hsiu, premier of Lu, was fond offish. Therefore, people in the

whole country conscientiously bought fish, which they presented to him.

However, Kung-yi would not accept the presents. Against such a step his

younger brother remonstrated with him and said: “You like fish, indeed.

Why don't you accept the present offish ” In reply, he said: “It is solely

because I like fish that I would not accept the fish they gave me. Indeed, if I

accept the fish, I will be placed under an obligation to them. Once placed

under an obligation to them, I will some time have to bend the law. If I bend

the law, I will be dismissed from the premiership. After being dismissed

from the premiership, I might not be able to supply myself with fish. On the

contrary, if I do not accept the fish from them and am not dismissed the

premiership, however fond of fish, I can always supply myself with fish.”

Chinese philosopher, third century b.c.

tipped over a table and the teacup fell to the ground and broke into

several pieces. The auction was clearly over. Fushimiya glued and mended

the cup, then stored it away, dunking the affair finished. Years later,

however, the great tea master Matsudaira Fumai visited the store, and asked

to see the cup, which by then had become legendary. Fumai examined it.

“As a piece,” he said, “it is not up to much, but a Tea Master prizes

sentiment and association more than intrinsic value.” He bought the cup for

a high sum. A glued-together work of less than ordinary craftsmanship had

become one of the most famous objects in Japan. Interpretation

The story shows, first, an essential aspect of money: That it is humans

who have created it and humans who instill it with meaning and value.

Second, with objects as with money, what the courtier most values are the

sentiments and emotions embedded in themthese are what make them worth

having. The lesson is simple: The more your gifts and your acts of

generosity play with sentiment, the more powerful mey are. The object or

concept that plays with a charged emotion or hits a chord of sentiment has

more power than the money you squander on an expensive yet lifeless

present.

Observance VI

Akimoto Suzutomo, a wealthy adherent of the tea ceremony, once gave

his page 100 ryo (gold pieces) and instructed him to purchase a tea bowl

offered by a particular dealer. When the page saw the bowl, he doubted it

was worth that much, and after much bargaining got the price reduced to 95

ryo. Days later, after Suzutomo had put the bowl to use, the page proudly

told him what he had done.

“What an ignoramus you are!” replied Suzutomo. “A tea bowl that

anyone asks 100 pieces of gold for can only be a family heirloom, and a

thing like that is only sold when the family is pressed for money. And in

that case tiiey will be hoping to find someone who will give even 150

pieces for it. So what sort of fellow is it who does not consider their

feelings Quite apart from that, a curio that you give 100 ryo for is

something worth having, but one that has only cost 95 gives a mean

impression. So never let me see that tea bowl again!” And he had die bowl

locked away, and never took it out. Interpretation

When you insist on paying less, you may save your five ryo, but die

insult you cause and the cheap impression you create will cost you in

reputation, which is the thing the powerful prize above all. Learn to pay the

full priceit will save you a lot in the end.

Observance VII

Sometime near the beginning of die seventeenth century in Japan, a

group of generals whiled away the time before a big battle by staging an

incense-smelling competition. Each participant anted up a prize for the

contest's winnersbows, arrows, saddles, and odier items a warrior would

covet.

The great Lord Date Masamune happened to pass by and was induced

to participate. For a prize, he offered the gourd that hung from his belt.

Everyone laughed, for no one wanted to win this cheap item. A retainer of

die host finally accepted the gourd.

When die party broke up, however, and the generals were chatting

outside the tent, Masamune brought over his magnificent horse and gave it

to the retainer. “There,” he said, “a horse has come out of the gourd.” The

stunned generals suddenly regretted their scorn at Masamune's gift.

Interpretation

Masamune understood the following: Money gives its possessor the

ability to give pleasure to others. The more you can do this, the more you

attract admiration. When you make a horse come out of a gourd, you give

the ultimate demonstration of your power.

Image: The River. To protect yourself or to save the resource, you dam

it up. Soon, however, the waters become dank and pestilent. Only the

foulest forms of life can live in such stagnant waters; nothing travels on

them, all commerce stops. Destroy the dam. When water flows and

circulates, it generates abundance, wealth, and power in ever larger circles.

The River must flood periodically for good things to flourish.

/ took money only from those who could afford it and were willing to go

in with me in schemes they fancied would fleece others. They wanted

money for its own sake. I wanted it for the luxuries and pleasures it would

afford me. They were seldom concerned with human nature. They knew

littleand cared lessabout their fellow men. If they had been keener students

of human nature, if they had given more time to companionship with their

fellows and less to the chase of the almighty dollar, they wouldn 't have

been such easy marks.

“Yellow Kid” Weil, 1875-1976

Authority: The great man who is a miser is a great fool, and a man in

high places can have no vice so harmful as avarice. A miserly man can

conquer neither lands nor lordships, for he does not have a plentiful supply

of friends with whom he may work his will. Whoever wants to have friends

must not love his possessions but must acquire friends by means of fair

gifts; for in the same way that the lodestone subtly draws iron to itself, so

the gold and silver that a man gives attract the hearts of men. (The Romance

of the Rose, Guillaume de Lorris, c. 1200-1238)

REVERSAL

The powerful never forget that what is offered for free is inevitably a

trick. Friends who offer favors without asking for payment will later want

something far dearer than the money you would have paid them. The

bargain has hidden problems, both material and psychological. Learn to

pay, then, and to pay well.

On the other hand, this Law offers great opportunities for swindling and

deception if you apply it from the other side. Dangling the lure of a free

lunch is the con artist's stock in trade.

No man was better at this than the most successful con artist of our age,

Joseph Weil, a.k.a. “The Yellow Kid.” The Yellow Kid learned early that

what made his swindles possible was his fellow humans' greed. “This desire

to get something for nothing,” he once wrote, “has been very costly to many

people who have dealt with me and with other con men. . . . When people

learnas I doubt they willthat they can't get something for nothing, crime will

diminish and we shall all live in greater harmony.” Over the years Weil

devised many ways to seduce people with the prospect of easy money. He

would hand out “free” real estatewho could resist such an offerand then the

suckers would learn they had to pay $25 to register the sale. Since the land

was free, it seemed worth the high fee, and the Yellow Kid would make

thousands of dollars on the phony registration. In exchange he would give

his suckers a phony deed. Other times, he would tell suckers about a fixed

horse race, or a stock that would earn 200 percent in a few weeks. As he

spun his stories he would watch the sucker's eyes open wide at the thought

of a free lunch.

The lesson is simple: Bait your deceptions with the possibility of easy

money. People are essentially lazy, and want wealth to fall in their lap rather

than to work for it. For a small sum, sell them advice on how to make

millions (P. T. Barnum did this later in life), and that small sum will become

a fortune when multiplied by thousands of suckers. Lure people in with the

prospect of easy money and you have the room to work still more

deceptions on them, since greed is powerful enough to blind your victims to

anything. And as the Yellow Kid said, half the fun is teaching a moral

lesson: Greed does not pay.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 41

AVOID STEPPING INTO A GREAT MAN'S SHOES

JUDGMENT

What happens first always appears better and more original than what

comes after. If you succeed a great man or have a famous parent, you will

have to accomplish double their achievements to outshine them. Do not get

lost in their shadow, or stuck in a past not of your own making: Establish

your own name and identity by changing course. Slay the overbearing

father, disparage his legacy, and gain power by shining in your own way.

Many would have shone like the very phoenix in their occupations if

others had not preceded them. Being first is a great advantage; with

eminence, twice as good. Deal the first hand and you will win the upper

ground. . . . Those who go first win fame by right of birth, and those who

follow are like second sons, contenting themselves with meager portions....

Solomon opted wisely for pacifism, yielding warlike things to his father. By

changing course he found it easier to become a hero.... And our great Philip

II governed the entire world from the throne of his prudence, astonishing

the ages. If his unconquered father was a model of energy, Philip was a

paradigm of prudence.... This sort of novelty has helped the well-advised

win a place in the roll of the great. Without leaving their own art, the

ingenious leave the common path and take, even in professions gray with

age, new steps toward eminence. Horace yielded epic poetry to Virgil, and

Martial the lyric to Horace. Terence opted for comedy, Persius for satire,

each hoping to be first in his genre. Bold fancy never succumbed to facile

imitation.

a pocket mirror

for heroes,

Baltasar Gracian,

translated by

Christopher Maurer,

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

When Louis XIV died, in 1715, after a glorious fifty-five-year reign, all

eyes focused on his great-grandson and chosen successor, the future Louis

XV. Would the boy, only five at the time, prove as great a leader as the Sun

King Louis XIV had transformed a country on the verge of civil war into

the preeminent power in Europe. The last years of his reign had been

difficulthe had been old and tiredbut it was hoped that the child would

develop into the kind of strong ruler who would reinvigorate the land and

add to the firm foundation that Louis XIV had laid.

To this end the child was given the best minds of France as his tutors,

men who would instruct him in the arts of statecraft, in the methods that the

Sun King had perfected. Nodiing was neglected in his education. But when

Louis XV came to die throne, in 1726, a sudden change came over him: He

no longer had to study or please others or prove himself. He stood alone at

the top of a great country, widi wealth and power at his command. He could

do as he wished.

In die first years of his reign, Louis gave himself over to pleasure,

leaving the government in the hands of a trusted minister, Andre-Hercule de

Fleury. This caused little concern, for he was a young man who needed to

sow his wild oats, and de Fleury was a good minister. But it slowly became

clear that this was more than a passing phase. Louis had no interest in

governing. His main worry was not France's finances, or a possible war

with Spain, but boredom. He could not stand being bored, and when he was

not hunting deer, or chasing young girls, he whiled away his time at the

gambling tables, losing huge sums in a single night.

The court, as usual, reflected the tastes of the ruler. Gambling and lavish

parties became the obsession. The courtiers had no concern with the future

of Francethey poured their energies into charming the king, angling for

titles that would bring them life pensions, and for cabinet positions

demanding litde work but paying huge salaries. Parasites flocked to the

court, and the state's debts swelled.

In 1745 Louis fell in love with Madame de Pompadour, a woman of

middle-class origin who had managed to rise dirough her charms, her

intelligence, and a good marriage. Madame de Pompadour became the

official royal mistress; she also became France's arbiter of taste and fashion.

But the Madame had political ambitions as well, and she eventually

emerged as the country's unofficial prime ministerit was she, not Louis,

who wielded hiring-and-firing power over France's most important

ministers.

As he grew older Louis only needed more diversion. On the grounds of

Versailles he built a brothel, Pare aux Cerfs, which housed some of die

prettiest young girls of France. Underground passages and hidden staircases

gave Louis access at all hours. After Madame de Pompadour died, in 1764,

she was succeeded as royal mistress by Madame du Barry, who soon came

to dominate the court, and who, like de Pompadour before her, began to

meddle in affairs of state. If a minister did not please her he would find

himself fired. All of Europe was aghast when du Barry, the daughter of a

baker, managed to arrange the firing of Etienne de Choiseul, the foreign

minister and France's most able diplomat. He had shown her too littie

respect. As time went by, swindlers and charlatans made their nests in

Versailles, and enticed Louis's interest in astrology, the occult, and

fraudulent business deals. The young and pampered teenager who had taken

over France years before had only grown worse with age.

The motto that became attached to Louis's reign was “Apres moi, le

deluge”- “After me the flood,” or, Let France rot after I am gone. And

indeed when Louis did go, in 1774, worn out by debauchery, his country

and his own finances were in horrible disarray. His grandson Louis XVI

inherited a realm in desperate need of reform and a strong leader. But Louis

XVI was even weaker than his grandfather, and could only watch as the

country descended into revolution. In 1792 the republic introduced by the

French Revolution declared the end of the monarchy, and gave die king a

new name, “Louis the Last.” A few months later he kneeled on the

guillotine, his about-to-be-severed head stripped of all the radiance and

power that die Sun King had invested in the crown.

Interpretation

From a country that had descended into civil war in die late 1640s,

Louis XIV forged the mightiest realm in Europe. Great generals would

tremble in his presence. A cook once made a mistake in preparing a dish

and committed suicide rather than face the king's wrath. Louis XIV had

many mistresses, but their power ended in the bedroom. He filled his court

with the most brilliant minds of die age. The symbol of his power was

Versailles: Refusing to accept die palace of his forefathers, die Louvre, he

built his own palace in what was then the middle of nowhere, symbolizing

that diis was a new order he had founded, one without precedent. He made

Versailles the centerpiece of his reign, a place that all the powerful of

Europe envied and visited with a sense of awe. In essence, Louis took a

great voidthe decaying monarchy of Franceand filled it with his own

symbols and radiant power.

Louis XV, on the other hand, symbolizes the fate of all those who

inherit somediing large or who follow in a great man's footsteps. It would

seem easy for a son or successor to build on die grand foundation left for

them, but in the realm of power the opposite is true. The pampered,

indulged son almost always squanders the inheritance, for he does not start

with die father's need to fill a void. As Machiavelli states, necessity is what

impels men to take action, and once die necessity is gone, only rot and

decay are left. Having no need to increase his store of power, Louis XV

inevitably succumbed to inertia. Under him, Versailles, the symbol of the

Sun King's authority, became a pleasure palace of incomparable banality, a

kind of Las Vegas of die Bourbon monarchy. It came to represent all that

the oppressed peasantry of France hated about their king, and during die

Revolution they looted it with glee.

Louis XV had only one way out of the trap awaiting the son or

successor of a man like the Sun King: to psychologically begin from

nothing, to

LIFE OF PERICLES

As a young man Pericles was inclined to shrink from facing the people.

One reason for this was that he was considered to bear a distinct

resemblance to the tyrant Pisistratus, and when men who were well on in

years remarked on the charm of Pericles' voice and the smoothness and

fluency of his speech, they were astonished at the resemblance between the

two. The fact that he was rich and that he came of a distinguished family

and possessed exceedingly powerful friends made the fear of ostracism very

real to him, and at the beginning of his career he took no part in politics but

devoted himself to soldiering, in which he showed great daring and

enterprise. However, the time came when Aristides was dead, Themistocles

in exile, and Cimon frequently absent on distant campaigns. Then at last

Pericles decided to attach himself to the people's party and to take up the

cause of the poor and the many instead of that of the rich and the few, in

spite of the fact that this was quite contrary to his own temperament, which

was thoroughly aristocratic. He was afraid, apparently, of being suspected

of aiming at a dictatorship; so that when he saw that

Cimon '.v sympathies were strongly with the nobles and that Cimon was

the idol of the aristocratic party, Pericles began to ingratiate himself with

the people, partly for self-preservation and partly by way of securing power

against his rival. He now entered upon a new mode of life. He was never to

be seen walking in any street except the one which led to the market-place

and the council chamber.

the life of pericles,

Plutarch,

c. a.d. 46-120

How beneficial poverty may sometimes be to those with talent, and how

it may serve as a powerful goad to make them perfect or excellent in

whatever occupation they might choose, can be seen very clearly in the

actions of Pietro Perugino. Wishing by means of his ability to attain some

respectable rank, after leaving disastrous calamities behind in Perugia and

coming to Florence, he remained there many months in poverty, sleeping in

a chest, since he had no other bed; he turned night into day, and with the

greatest zeal continually applied himself to

denigrate the past and his inheritance, and to move in a totally new

direction, creating his own world. Assuming you have the choice, it would

be better to avoid the situation altogether, to place yourself where there is a

vacuum of power, where you can be the one to bring order out of chaos

without having to compete with another star in the sky. Power depends on

appearing larger than other people, and when you are lost in die shadow of

the father, the king, the great predecessor, you cannot possibly project such

a presence.

But when they began to make sovereignty hereditary, the children

quickly

degenerated from their fathers; and, so far from trying to equal their

father's

virtues, they considered that a prince had nothing else to do than to

excel

all the rest in idleness, indulgence, and every other variety of pleasure.

Niccolo Machiavelli, 1469-1527

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

Alexander the Great had a dominant passion as a young manan intense

dislike for his father, King Philip of Macedonia. He hated Philip's cunning,

cautious style of ruling, his bombastic speeches, his drinking and whoring,

and his love of wrestling and of other wastes of time. Alexander knew he

had to make himself the very opposite of his domineering father: He would

force himself to be bold and reckless, he would control his tongue and be a

man of few words, and he would not lose precious time in pursuit of

pleasures that brought no glory. Alexander also resented the fact that Philip

had conquered most of Greece: “My father will go on conquering till there

is nothing extraordinary left for me to do,” he once complained. While

other sons of powerful men were content to inherit wealth and live a life of

leisure, Alexander wanted only to outdo his father, to obliterate Philip's

name from history by surpassing his accomplishments.

Alexander itched to show others how superior he was to his father. A

Thessalian horse-dealer once brought a prize horse named Bucephalus to

sell to Philip. None of the king's grooms could get near the horseit was far

too savageand Philip berated the merchant for bringing him such a useless

beast. Watching the whole affair, Alexander scowled and commented,

“What a horse they are losing for want of skill and spirit to manage him!”

When he had said this several times, Philip had finally had enough, and

challenged him to take on die horse. He called the merchant back, secretly

hoping his son would have a nasty fall and learn a bitter lesson. But

Alexander was die one to teach the lesson: Not only did he mount

Bucephalus, he managed to ride him at full gallop, taming the horse that

would later carry him all die way to India. The courtiers applauded wildly,

but Philip seethed inside, seeing not a son but a rival to his power.

Alexander's defiance of his father grew bolder. One day die two men

had a heated argument before die entire court, and Philip drew his sword as

if to strike his son; having drunk too much wine, however, the king

stumbled. Alexander pointed at his father and jeered, "Men of Macedonia,

see there the man who is preparing to pass from Europe to Asia. He

cannot pass from one table to another without falling."

When Alexander was eighteen, a disgrunded courtier murdered Philip.

As word of the regicide spread through Greece, city after city rose up in

rebellion against their Macedonian rulers. Philip's advisers counseled

Alexander, now the king, to proceed cautiously, to do as Philip had done

and conquer through cunning. But Alexander would do tilings his way: He

marched to the furthest reaches of the kingdom, suppressed the rebellious

towns, and reunited the empire with brutal efficiency.

As a young rebel grows older, his struggle against the father often

wanes, and he gradually comes to resemble the very man he had wanted to

defy. But Alexander's loathing of his father did not end with Philip's death.

Once he had consolidated Greece, he set his eyes on Persia, the prize that

had eluded his father, who had dreamed of conquering Asia. If he defeated

the Persians, Alexander would finally surpass Philip in glory and fame.

Alexander crossed into Asia with an army of 35,000 to face a Persian

force numbering over a million. Before engaging die Persians in battle he

passed through the town of Gordium. Here, in the town's main temple, there

stood an ancient chariot tied with cords made of die rind of the cornel tree.

Legend had it that any man who could undo these cordsthe Gordian

knotwould rule the world. Many had tried to untie the enormous and

intricate knot, but none had succeeded. Alexander, seeing he could not

possibly untie die knot with his bare hands, took out his sword and widi one

slash cut it in half. This symbolic gesture showed the world that he would

not do as otiiers, but would blaze his own path.

Against astounding odds, Alexander conquered the Persians. Most

expected him to stop thereit was a great triumph, enough to secure his fame

for eternity. But Alexander had die same relationship to his own deeds as he

had to his father: His conquest of Persia represented die past, and he wanted

never to rest on past triumphs, or to allow the past to outshine the present.

He moved on to India, extending his empire beyond all known limits. Only

his disgrunded and weary soldiers prevented him from going farther.

Interpretation

Alexander represents an extremely uncommon type in history: the son

of a famous and successful man who manages to surpass the fatfier in glory

and power. The reason this type is uncommon is simple: The father most

often manages to amass his fortune, his kingdom, because he begins with

litUe or nothing. A desperate urge impels him to succeedhe has nothing to

lose by cunning and impetuousness, and has no famous fatiier of his own to

compete against. This kind of man has reason to believe in himselfto

believe that his way of doing things is the best, because, after all, it worked

for him.

When a man like this has a son, he becomes domineering and

oppressive, imposing his lessons on the son, who is starting off life in

circumstances totally different from diose in which the father himself

began.

the study of his profession. After painting had become second nature to

him, Pietro's only pleasure was always to be working in his craft and

constantly to be painting. And because he always had the dread of poverty

before his eyes, he did things to make money which he probably would not

have bothered to do had he not been forced to support himself. Perhaps

wealth would have closed to him and his talent the path to excellence just as

poverty had opened it up to him, but need spurred him on since he desired

to rise from such a miserable and lowly position // not perhaps to the

summit and supreme height of excellence, then at least to a point where he

could have enough to live on. For this reason, he took no notice of cold,

hunger, discomfort, inconvenience, toil or shame if he could only live one

day in ease and repose; and he would always sayand as if it were a proverb

that after bad weather, good weather must follow, and that during the good

weather houses must be built for shelter in times of need.

lives of the artists, Giorgio Vasari, 1511-1574

The slightest acquaintance with chess shows one that it is a play-

substitute for the art of war and indeed it has been a favorite recreation of

some of the greatest military leaders, from William the Conqueror to

Napoleon. In the contest between the opposing armies the same principles

of both strategy and tactics are displayed as in actual war, the same

foresight and powers of calculation are necessary, the same capacity for

divining the plans of the opponent, and the rigor with which decisions are

followed by their consequences is, if anything, even more ruthless. More

than that, it is plain that the unconscious motive actuating the players is not

the mere love of pugnacity characteristic of all competitive games, but the

grimmer one of father-murder. It is true that the original goal of capturing

the king has been given up, but from the point of view of motive there is,

except in respect of crudity, not appreciable change in the present goal of

sterilizing him in immobility.... “Checkmate ” means literally “the king is

dead.” ... Our knowledge of the unconscious motivation of chess-playing

tells us that what it represented could only have been the wish to overcome

the father in an acceptable way.... It is no doubt signifi-

Instead of allowing the son to go in a new direction, the father will try

to put him in his own shoes, perhaps secredy wishing die boy will fail, as

Philip half wanted to see Alexander thrown from Bucephalus. Fathers envy

Uieir sons' youdi and vigor, after all, and their desire is to control and

dominate. The sons of such men tend to become cowed and cautious,

terrified of losing what their fadiers have gained.

The son will never step out of his father's shadow unless he adopts die

ruthless strategy of Alexander: disparage die past, create your own

kingdom, put die father in die shadows instead of letting him do the same to

you. If you cannot materially start from ground zeroit would be foolish to

renounce an inheritanceyou can at least begin from ground zero

psychologically, by throwing off the weight of die past and charting a new

direction. Alexander instinctively recognized that privileges of birth are

impediments to power. Be merciless with the past, tiiennot only widi your

fadier and his fadier but widi your own earlier achievements. Only the weak

rest on their laurels and dote on past triumphs; in the game of power there is

never time to rest.

KEYS TO POWER

In many ancient kingdoms, for example Bengal and Sumatra, after die

king had ruled for several years his subjects would execute him. This was

done partly as a ritual of renewal, but also to prevent him from growing too

powerfulfor the king would generally try to establish a permanent order, at

the expense of other families and of his own sons. Instead of protecting die

tribe and leading it in times of war, he would attempt to dominate it. And so

he would be beaten to deadi, or executed in an elaborate ritual. Now that he

was no longer around for his honors to go to his head, he could be

worshipped as a god. Meanwhile die field had been cleared for a new and

youdiful order to establish itself.

The ambivalent, hostile attitude towards the king or father figure also

finds expression in legends of heroes who do not know their fadier. Moses,

the archetypal man of power, was found abandoned among die bulrushes

and never knew his parents; without a father to compete widi him or limit

him, he could attain the heights of power. Hercules had no earthly father he

was the son of the god Zeus. Later in his life Alexander the Great spread the

story that the god Jupiter Ammon had sired him, not Philip of Mace-don.

Legends and rituals like diese eliminate the human fadier because he

symbolizes the destructive power of die past.

The past prevents the young hero from creating his own worldhe must

do as his father did, even after that father is dead or powerless. The hero

must bow and scrape before his predecessor and yield to tradition and

precedent. What had success in the past must be carried over to die present,

even tiiough circumstances have greatiy changed. The past also weighs die

hero down with an inheritance that he is terrified of losing, making him

timid and cautious.

Power depends on die ability to fill a void, to occupy a field diat has

been cleared of the dead weight of the past. Only after the father figure

has been properly done away widi will you have die necessary space to

create and establish a new order. There are several strategies you can adopt

to accomplish thisvariations on the execution of die king that disguise the

violence of die impulse by channeling it in socially acceptable forms.

Perhaps the simplest way to escape the shadow of the past is simply to

belittle it, playing on die timeless antagonism between the generations,

stirring up me young against die old. For diis you need a convenient older

figure to pillory. Mao Tse-tung, confronting a culture that fiercely resisted

change, played on the suppressed resentment against the overbearing

presence of me venerable Confucius in Chinese culture. John F. Kennedy

knew the dangers of getting lost in the past; he radically distinguished his

presidency from diat of his predecessor, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and also

from die preceding decade, die 1950s, which Eisenhower personified.

Kennedy, for instance, would not play die dull and fadierly game of golf a

symbol of retirement and privilege, and Eisenhower's passion. Instead he

played football on die White House lawn. In every aspect his administration

represented vigor and youth, as opposed to die stodgy Eisenhower.

Kennedy had discovered an old truth: The young are easily set against the

old, since diey yearn to make their own place in the world and resent the

shadow of tiieir fathers.

The distance you establish from your predecessor often demands some

symbolism, a way of advertising itself publicly. Louis XIV, for example,

created such symbolism when he rejected the traditional palace of die

French kings and built his own palace of Versailles. King Philip II of Spain

did die same when he created his center of power, die palace of El Esco-

rial, in what was then die middle of nowhere. But Louis carried the game

further: He would not be a king like his fadier or earlier ancestors, he would

not wear a crown or carry a scepter or sit on a dirone, he would establish a

new kind of imposing autiiority widi symbols and rituals of its own. Louis

made his ancestors' rituals into laughable relics of the past. Follow his

example: Never let yourself be seen as following your predecessor's paui. If

you do you will never surpass him. You must physically demonstrate your

difference, by establishing a style and symbolism that sets you apart.

The Roman emperor Augustus, successor to Julius Caesar, understood

this moroughly. Caesar had been a great general, a dieatrical figure whose

spectacles kept the Romans entertained, an international emissary seduced

by die charms of Cleopatraa larger-than-life figure. So Augustus, despite his

own theatrical tendencies, competed with Caesar not by trying to outdo him

but by differentiating himself from him: He based his power on a return to

Roman simplicity, an austerity of both style and substance. Against die

memory of Caesar's sweeping presence Augustus posed a quiet and manly

dignity.

The problem widi the overbearing predecessor is that he fills die vistas

before you widi symbols of die past. You have no room to create your own

name. To deal witii diis situation you need to hunt out the vacuumsthose

cant that [nineteenth-century chess champion Paul] Morphy's soaring

odyssey into the higher realms of chess began just a year after the

unexpectedly sudden death of his father, which had been a great shock to

him, and we may surmise that his brilliant effort of sublimation was, like

Shakespeare's Hamlet and Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams, a reaction

to this critical event....

Something should now be said about the reception Morphy's successes

met with, for they were of such a kind as to raise the question whether his

subsequent collapse may not have been influenced through his perhaps

belonging to the type that Freud has described under the name of Die am

Erfolge scheitern (“Those wrecked by success”).... Couched in more

psychological language, was Morphy affrighted at his own

presumptuousness when the light of publicity was thrown on [his great

success] Freud has pointed out that the people who break under the strain of

too great success do so because they can endure it only in imagination, not

in reality. To castrate the father in a dream is a very different matter from

doing it in reality. The real situation provokes the unconscious guilt in its

full force, and the penalty may be mental collapse.

THE PROBLEM OF PAUL MORPHY,

Ernest Jones, 1951

areas in culture that have been left vacant and in which you can become

the first and principal figure to shine.

When Pericles of Athens was about to launch a career as a statesman, he

looked for the one thing that was missing in Athenian politics. Most of the

great politicians of his time had allied themselves with the aristocracy;

indeed Pericles himself had aristocratic tendencies. Yet he decided to tiirow

in his hat with the city's democratic elements. The choice had nothing to do

with his personal beliefs, but it launched him on a brilliant career. Out of

necessity he became a man of the people. Instead of competing in an arena

filled with great leaders both past and present, he would make a name for

himself where no shadows could obscure his presence.

When the painter Diego de Velazquez began his career, he knew he

could not compete in refinement and technique with the great Renaissance

painters who had come before him. Instead he chose to work in a style that

by the standards of the time seemed coarse and rough, in a way that had

never been seen before. And in mis style he excelled. There were members

of the Spanish court who wanted to demonstrate their own break with the

past; the newness of Velazquez's style thrilled them. Most people are afraid

to break so boldly with tradition, but mey secretly admire those who can

break up the old forms and reinvigorate the culture. This is why there is so

much power to be gained from entering vacuums and voids.

There is a kind of stubborn stupidity that recurs throughout history, and

is a strong impediment to power: The superstitious belief that if the person

before you succeeded by doing A, B, and C, you can re-create their success

by doing the same thing. This cookie-cutter approach will seduce the

uncreative, for it is easy, and appeals to their timidity and their laziness. But

circumstances never repeat themselves exactly.

When General Douglas MacArthur assumed command of American

forces in the Philippines during World War II, an assistant handed him a

book containing the various precedents established by the commanders

before him, the methods that had been successful for them. MacArthur

asked the assistant how many copies there were of this book. Six, the

assistant answered. “Well,” the general replied, “you get all those six copies

together and burn themevery one of them. I'll not be bound by precedents.

Any time a problem comes up, I'll make the decision at onceimmediately.”

Adopt this ruthless strategy toward the past: Burn all the books, and train

yourself to react to circumstances as they happen.

You may believe that you have separated yourself from the predecessor

or father figure, but as you grow older you must be eternally vigilant lest

you become the father you had rebelled against. As a young man, Mao Tse-

tung disliked his father and in the struggle against him found his own

identity and a new set of values. But as he aged, his father's ways crept back

in. Mao's father had valued manual work over intellect; Mao had scoffed at

this as a young man, but as he grew older he unconsciously returned to his

father's views and echoed such outdated ideas by forcing a whole

generation of Chinese intellectuals into manual labor, a nightmarish mistake

that

cost his regime dearly. Remember: You are your own father. Do not let

yourself spend years creating yourself only to let your guard down and

allow the ghost of the pastfather, habit, historyto sneak back in.

Finally, as noted in the story of Louis XV, plenitude and prosperity tend

to make us lazy and inactive: When our power is secure we have no need to

act. This is a serious danger, especially for those who achieve success and

power at an early age. The playwright Tennessee Williams, for instance,

found himself skyrocketed from obscurity to fame by the success of The

Glass Menagerie. “The sort of life which I had had previous to this popular

success,” he later wrote, “was one that required endurance, a life of clawing

and scratching, but it was a good life because it was the sort of life for

which the human organism is created. I was not aware of how much vital

energy had gone into this struggle until the struggle was removed. This was

security at last. I sat down and looked about me and was suddenly very

depressed.” Williams had a nervous breakdown, which may in fact have

been necessary for him: Pushed to the psychological edge, he could start

writing with the old vitality again, and he produced A Streetcar Named

Desire. Fyodor Dostoyevsky, similarly, whenever he wrote a successful

novel, would feel that the financial security he had gained made the act of

creation unnecessary. He would take his entire savings to the casino and

would not leave until he had gambled away his last penny. Once reduced to

poverty he could write again.

It is not necessary to go to such extremes, but you must be prepared to

return to square one psychologically rather than growing fat and lazy with

prosperity. Pablo Picasso could deal with success, but only by constantly

changing the style of his painting, often breaking completely with what had

made him successful before. How often our early triumphs turn us into a

kind of caricature of ourselves. Powerful people recognize these traps; like

Alexander the Great, they struggle constantly to re-create themselves. The

father must not be allowed to return; he must be slain at every step of the

way.

Image: The Father. He casts a giant shadow over his children, keeping

them in thrall long after he is gone by tying them to the past, squashing

their youthful spirit, and forcing them down the same tired path he followed

himself. His tricks are many. At every crossroads you must slay the father

and step out of his shadow.

Authority: Beware of stepping into a great man's shoesyou will have to

accomplish twice as much to surpass him. Those who follow are taken for

imitators. No matter how much they sweat, they will never shed that

burden. It is an uncommon skill to find a new path for excellence, a modern

route to celebrity. There are many roads to singularity, not all of them well

traveled. The newest ones can be arduous, but they are often shortcuts to

greatness. (Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)

REVERSAL

The shadow of a great predecessor could be used to advantage if it is

chosen as a trick, a tactic that can be discarded once it has brought you

power. Napoleon III used the name and legend of his illustrious grand-uncle

Napoleon Bonaparte to help him become first president and then emperor of

France. Once on the throne, however, he did not stay tied to the past; he

quickly showed how different his reign would be, and was careful to keep

the public from expecting him to attain the heights that Bonaparte had

attained.

The past often has elements worth appropriating, qualities that would be

foolish to reject out of a need to distinguish yourself. Even Alexander the

Great recognized and was influenced by his father's skill in organizing an

army. Making a display of doing things differently from your predecessor

can make you seem childish and in fact out of control, unless your actions

have a logic of their own.

Joseph II, son of the Austrian empress Maria Theresa, made a show of

doing the exact opposite of his motherdressing like an ordinary citizen,

staying in inns instead of palaces, appearing as the “people's emperor.”

Maria Theresa, on the other hand, had been regal and aristocratic. The

problem was that she had also been beloved, an empress who ruled wisely

after years of learning the hard way. If you have the kind of intelligence

and instinct mat will point you in the right direction, playing the rebel will

not be dangerous. But if you are mediocre, as Joseph II was in comparison

to his mother, you are better off learning from your predecessor's

knowledge and experience, which are based on something real.

Finally, it is often wise to keep an eye on the young, your future rivals

in power. Just as you try to rid yourself of your father, they will soon play

the same trick on you, denigrating everything you have accomplished. Just

as you rise by rebelling against the past, keep an eye on those rising from

below, and never give them the chance to do die same to you.

The great Baroque artist and architect Pietro Bernini was a master at

sniffing out younger potential rivals and keeping mem in his shadow. One

day a young stonemason named Francesco Borromini showed Bernini his

architectural sketches. Recognizing his talent immediately, Bernini in-

standy hired Borromini as his assistant, which delighted the young man but

was actually only a tactic to keep him close at hand, so that he could play

psychological games on him and create in him a kind of inferiority

complex. And indeed, despite Borromini's brilliance, Bernini has the greater

fame. His strategy with Borromini he made a lifelong practice: Fearing mat

the great sculptor Alessandro Algardi, for example, would eclipse him in

fame, he arranged it so that Algardi could only find work as his assistant.

And any assistant who rebelled against Bernini and tried to strike out on his

own would find his career ruined.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 42

STRIKE THE SHEPHERD

AND THE SHEEP

WILL SCATTER

JUDGMENT

Trouble can often be traced to a single strong individualthe stirrer, the

arrogant underling, the poisoner of goodwill. If you allow such people room

to operate, others will succumb to their influence. Do not wait for the

troubles they cause to multiply, do not try to negotiate with themthey are

irredeemable. Neutralize their influence by isolating or banishing them.

Strike at the source of the trouble and the sheep will scatter.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW I

Near the end of the sixth century B.C., the city-state of Athens

overthrew the series of petty tyrants who had dominated its politics for

decades. It established instead a democracy that was to last over a century, a

democracy that became the source of its power and its proudest

achievement. But as the democracy evolved, so did a problem the

Athenians had never faced: How to deal with those who did not concern

themselves with the cohesion of a small city surrounded by enemies, who

did not work for its greater glory, but thought of only themselves and their

own ambitions and petty intrigues The Athenians understood that these

people, if left alone, would sow dissension, divide the city into factions, and

stir up anxieties, all of which could lead to the ruin of their democracy.

Violent punishment no longer suited the new, civilized order that Athens

had created. Instead the citizens found another, more satisfying, and less

brutal way to deal with the chronically selfish: Every year they would

gather in the marketplace and write on a piece of earthenware, an ostrakon,

the name of an individual they wanted to see banished from the city for ten

years. If a particular name appeared on six thousand ballots, that person

would instantly be exiled. If no one received six thousand votes, the person

with the most ostraka recording his name would suffer the ten-year

“ostracism.” This ritual expulsion became a kind of festival what a joy to be

able to banish those irritating, anxiety-inducing individuals who wanted to

rise above the group they should have served.

In 490 B.C., Aristides, one of the great generals of Athenian history,

helped defeat the Persians at the battle of Marathon. Meanwhile, off the

battlefield, his fairness as a judge had earned him the nickname “The Just.”

But as the years went by the Athenians came to dislike him. He made such

a show of his righteousness, and this, they believed, disguised his feelings

of superiority and scorn for the common folk. His omnipresence in

Athenian politics became obnoxious; the citizens grew tired of hearing him

called “The Just.” They feared that this was just the type of manjudgmental,

haughtywho would eventually stir up fierce divisions among them. In 482

B.C., despite Aristides' invaluable expertise in the continuing war with the

Persians, they collected the ostraka and had him banished.

After Aristides' ostracism, the great general Themistocles emerged as

the city's premier leader. But his many honors and victories went to his

head, and he too became arrogant and overbearing, constantly reminding

the Athenians of his triumphs in battle, the temples he had built, the dangers

he had fended off. He seemed to be saying mat without him the city would

come to ruin. And so, in 472 B.C., Themistocles' name was filled in on the

ostraka and the city was rid of his poisonous presence.

The greatest political figure in fifth-century Athens was undoubtedly

Pericles. Although several times threatened with ostracism, he avoided that

fate by maintaining close ties with the people. Perhaps he had learned a

lesson as a child from his favorite tutor, the incomparable Damon, who

The struggle now became fiercer than ever around the royal litter [of

Atahualpa, king of the Incan empire]. It reeled more and more, and at

length, several of the nobles who supported it having been slain, it was

overturned, and the Indian prince would have come with violence to the

ground, had not his fall been broken by the efforts of Pizarro and some

other of the cavaliers, who caught him in their arms. The imperial borla was

instantly snatched from his temples by a soldier, and the unhappy monarch,

strongly secured, was removed to a neighboring building where he was

carefully guarded. All attempt at resistance now ceased. The fate of the Inca

[Atahualpa] soon spread over town and country. The charm that might have

held the Peruvians together was dissolved. Every man thought only of his

own safety. Even the [IncanJ soldiery encamped on the adjacent fields took

the alarm, and, learning the fatal tidings, were seen flying in every direction

before their pursuers, who in the heat of triumph showed no touch of mercy.

At length night, more pitiful than man, threw her friendly mantle over the

fugitives, and the

scattered troops of Pizarro rallied once more at the sound of the trumpet

in the bloody square of Cajamarca.... [Atahualpa] was reverenced as more

than a human. He was not merely the head of the state, but the point to

which all its institutions converged as to a common centerthe keystone of

the political fabric which must fall to pieces by its own weight when that

was withdrawn. So it fared on the [execution] of Atahualpa. His death not

only left the throne vacant, without any certain successor, but the manner of

it announced to the Peruvian people that a hand stronger than that of their

Incas had now seized the scepter, and that the dynasty of the Children of the

Sun had passed away forever.

THE CONQUEST OF PERU,

William H. Prescott, 1847

excelled above all other Athenians in his intelligence, his musical skills,

and his rhetorical abilities. It was Damon who had trained Pericles in die

arts of ruling. But he, too, suffered ostracism, for his superior airs and his

insulting manner toward the commoners stirred up too much resentment.

Toward the end of the century there lived a man named Hyperbolus.

Most writers of the time describe him as the city's most worthless citizen:

He did not care what anyone thought of him, and slandered whomever he

disliked. He amused some, but irritated many more. In 417 B.C.,

Hyperbolus saw an opportunity to stir up anger against the two leading

politicians of the time, Alcibiades and Nicias. He hoped that one of the two

would be ostracized and that he would rise in mat man's place. His

campaign seemed likely to succeed: The Athenians disliked Alcibiades'

flamboyant and carefree lifestyle, and were wary of Nicias' wealth and

aloofness. They seemed certain to ostracize one or die other. But Alcibiades

and Nicias, although they were otherwise enemies, pooled their resources

and managed to turn the ostracism on Hyperbolus instead. His obnoxious-

ness, they argued, could only be terminated by banishment.

Earlier sufferers of ostracism had been formidable, powerful men.

Hyperbolus, however, was a low buffoon, and with his banishment the

Athenians felt that ostracism had been degraded. And so they ended the

practice that for nearly a hundred years had been one of die keys to keeping

the peace within Athens.

Interpretation

The ancient Athenians had social instincts unknown todaydie passage of

centuries has blunted them. Citizens in the true sense of the word, the

Athenians sensed the dangers posed by asocial behavior, and saw how such

behavior often disguises itself in otiier forms: the holier-than-thou attitude

that silendy seeks to impose its standards on others; overweening ambition

at the expense of the common good; the flaunting of superiority; quiet

scheming; terminal obnoxiousness. Some of Uiese behaviors would eat

away at the city's cohesion by creating factions and sowing dissension,

odiers would ruin the democratic spirit by making the common citizen feel

inferior and envious. The Athenians did not try to reeducate people who

acted in these ways, or to absorb them somehow into the group, or to

impose a violent punishment that would only create other problems. The

solution was quick and effective: Get rid of them.

Within any group, trouble can most often be traced to a single source,

the unhappy, chronically dissatisfied one who will always stir up dissension

and infect the group widi his or her ill ease. Before you know what hit you

the dissatisfaction spreads. Act before it becomes impossible to disentangle

one strand of misery from anodier, or to see how die whole thing started.

First, recognize troublemakers by their overbearing presence, or by their

complaining nature. Once you spot them do not try to reform them or

appease diemmat will only make things worse. Do not attack diem, whether

directly or indirecdy, for diey are poisonous in nature and

will work underground to destroy you. Do as the Adienians did: Banish

them before it is too late. Separate them from the group before they become

the eye of a whirlpool. Do not give diem time to stir up anxieties and sow

discontent; do not give them room to move. Let one person suffer so that

the rest can live in peace.

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.

Chinese saying

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW II

In 1296 the cardinals of die Catholic Church met in Rome to select a

new pope. They chose Cardinal Gaetani, for he was incomparably shrewd;

such a man would make die Vatican a great power. Taking the name

Boniface VIII, Gaetani soon proved he deserved the cardinals' high opinion

of him: He plotted his moves carefully in advance, and stopped at nodiing

to get his way. Once in power, Boniface quickly crushed his rivals and

unified the Papal States. The European powers began to fear him, and sent

delegates to negotiate widi him. The German King Albrecht of Austria even

yielded some territory to Boniface. All was proceeding according to the

pope's plan.

One piece did not fall into place, however, and diat was Tuscany, the

richest part of Italy. If Boniface could conquer Florence, Tuscany's most

powerful city, die region would be his. But Florence was a proud republic,

and would be hard to defeat. The pope had to play his cards skillfully.

Florence was divided by two rival factions, the Blacks and die Whites.

The Whites were the merchant families diat had recendy and quickly risen

to power and weakh; the Blacks were the older money. Because of their

popularity widi die people, die Whites retained control of the city, to the

Blacks' increasing resentment. The feud between the two grew steadily

more bitter.

Here Boniface saw his chance: He would plot to help the Blacks take

over the city, and Florence would be in his pocket. And as he studied die

situation he began to focus on one man, Dante Alighieri, die celebrated

writer, poet, and ardent supporter of die Whites. Dante had always been

interested in politics. He believed passionately in die republic, and often

chastised his fellow citizens for their lack of spine. He also happened to be

the city's most eloquent public speaker. In 1300, die year Boniface began

plotting to take over Tuscany, Dante's fellow citizens had voted him in to

Florence's highest elected position, making him one of the city's six priors.

During his six-mondi term in die post, he had stood firmly against the

Blacks and against all of die pope's attempts to sow disorder.

By 1301, however, Boniface had a new plan: He called in Charles de

Valois, powerful brother of die king of France, to help bring order to

Tuscany. As Charles marched through northern Italy, and Florence seedied

widi anxiety and fear, Dante quickly emerged as die man who could rally

THE WOLVES AND THE SHEEP

Once upon a time, the wolves sent an embassy to the sheep, desiring

that there might be peace between them for the time to come. “Why,” said

they, “should we be for ever waging this deadly strife Those wicked dogs

are the cause of all; they are incessantly barking at us, and provoking us.

Send them away, and there will be no longer any obstacle to our eternal

friendship and peace.” The silly sheep listened, the dogs were dismissed,

and the flock, thus deprived of their best protectors, became an easy prey to

their treacherous enemy.

FABLES,

Aesop,

sixth century b.c.

[Themistocles's] fellow citizens reached the point at which their

jealousy made them listen to any slander at his expense, and so [he] was

forced to remind the assembly of his achievements until they could bear this

no longer. He once said to those who were complaining of him: “Why are

you tired of receiving benefits so often from the same men” Besides this he

gave offense to the people when he built the temple of Artemis, for not only

did he style the goddess Artemis Aristohoule, or Artemis wisest in

counselwith the hint that it was he who had given the best counsel to the

Athenians and the Greeksbut he chose a site for it near his own house at

Melite.... So at last the Athenians banished him. They made use of the

ostracism to humble his great reputation and his authority, as indeed was

their habit with any whose power they regarded as oppressive, or who had

risen to an eminence which they considered out of keeping with the equality

of a democracy.

the life of

themistocles,

Plutarch,

c. a.d. 46-120

the people, arguing vehemently against appeasement and working

desperately to arm the citizens and to organize resistance against die pope

and his puppet French prince. By hook or by crook, Boniface had to

neutralize Dante. And so, even as on the one hand he threatened Florence

with Charles de Valois, on the other he held out the olive branch, the

possibility of negotiations, hoping Dante would take the bait. And indeed

the Florentines decided to send a delegation to Rome and try to negotiate a

peace. To head the mission, predictably, they chose Dante.

Some warned the poet that the wily pope was setting up a trap to lure

him away, but Dante went to Rome anyway, arriving as the French army

stood before the gates of Florence. He felt sure that his eloquence and

reason would win the pope over and save the city. Yet when the pope met

die poet and the Florentine delegates, he instandy intimidated them, as he

did so many. “Fall on your knees before me!” he bellowed at their first

meeting. “Submit to me! I tell you that in all truth I have nothing in my

heart but to promote your peace.” Succumbing to his powerful presence, the

Florentines listened as the pope promised to look after dieir interests. He

then advised them to return home, leaving one of their members behind to

continue the talks. Boniface signaled that the man to stay was to be Dante.

He spoke with the utmost politeness, but in essence it was an order.

And so Dante remained in Rome. And while he and the pope continued

their dialogue, Florence fell apart. With no one to rally the Whites, and with

Charles de Valois using the pope's money to bribe and sow dissension, the

Whites disintegrated, some arguing for negotiations, others switching sides.

Facing an enemy now divided and unsure of itself, the Blacks easily

destroyed them widiin weeks, exacting violent revenge on them. And once

the Blacks stood firmly in power, the pope finally dismissed Dante from

Rome.

The Blacks ordered Dante to return home to face accusations and stand

trial. When the poet refused, the Blacks condemned him to be burned to

death if he ever set foot in Florence again. And so Dante began a miserable

life of exile, wandering through Italy, disgraced in the city that he loved,

never to return to Florence, even after his death.

Interpretation

Boniface knew that if he only had a pretext to lure Dante away, Florence

would crumble. He played die oldest card in the bookthreatening with one

hand while holding out the olive branch with the otherand Dante fell for it.

Once the poet was in Rome, the pope kept him there for as long as it took.

For Boniface understood one of the principal precepts in the game of

power: One resolute person, one disobedient spirit, can turn a flock of sheep

into a den of lions. So he isolated the troublemaker. Without the backbone

of the city to keep them together, the sheep quickly scattered.

Learn the lesson: Do not waste your time lashing out in all directions at

what seems to be a many-headed enemy. Find the one head that mat-

tersthe person with willpower, or smarts, or, most important of all,

charisma. Whatever it costs you, lure this person away, for once he is absent

his powers will lose their effect. His isolation can be physical (banishment

or absence from the court), political (narrowing his base of support), or

psychological (alienating him from the group through slander and

insinuation). Cancer begins with a single cell; excise it before it spreads

beyond cure.

KEYS TO POWER

In the past, an entire nation would be ruled by a king and his handful of

ministers. Only the elite had any power to play witii. Over the centuries,

power has gradually become more and more diffused and democratized.

This has created, however, a common misperception that groups no longer

have centers of powerthat power is spread out and scattered among many

people. Actually, however, power has changed in its numbers but not in its

essence. There may be fewer mighty tyrants commanding the power of life

and death over millions, but there remain thousands of petty tyrants ruling

smaller realms, and enforcing tiieir will dirough indirect power games,

charisma, and so on. In every group, power is concentrated in the hands of

one or two people, for this is one area in which human nature will never

change: People will congregate around a single strong personality like

planets orbiting a sun.

To labor under the illusion diat tiiis kind of power center no longer

exists is to make endless mistakes, waste energy and time, and never hit the

target. Powerful people never waste time. Outwardly they may play along

with the gamepretending that power is shared among manybut inwardly

they keep their eyes on the inevitable few in die group who hold the cards.

These are die ones they work on. When troubles arise, they look for die

underlying cause, the single strong character who started the stirring and

whose isolation or banishment will settle die waters again.

In his family-dierapy practice, Dr. Milton H. Erickson found that if the

family dynamic was unsettled and dysfunctional there was inevitably one

person who was the stirrer, the troublemaker. In his sessions he would

symbolically isolate tins rotten apple by seating him or her apart from the

others, if only by a few feet. Slowly the odier family members would see

the physically separate person as the source of their difficulty. Once you

recognize who the stirrer is, pointing it out to odier people will accomplish

a great deal. Understanding who controls die group dynamic is a critical

realization. Remember: Stirrers dirive by hiding in the group, disguising

their actions among the reactions of others. Render their actions visible and

diey lose dieir power to upset.

A key element in games of strategy is isolating die enemy's power. In

chess you try to corner the king. In die Chinese game of go you try to

isolate the enemy's forces in small pockets, rendering them immobile and

ineffectual. It is often better to isolate your enemies than to destroy

themyou seem less brutal. The result, though, is the same, for in die

game of power, isolation spells deadi.

The most effective form of isolation is somehow to separate your

victims from their power base. When Mao Tse-tung wanted to eliminate an

enemy in the ruling elite, he did not confront the person directly; he silently

and stealthily worked to isolate die man, divide his allies and turn diem

away from him, shrink his support. Soon the man would vanish on his own.

Presence and appearance have great import in die game of power. To

seduce, particularly in the beginning stages, you need to be constantly

present, or create die feeling that you are; if you are often out of sight, die

charm will wear off. Queen Elizabedi's prime minister, Robert Cecil, had

two main rivals: die queen's favorite, die Earl of Essex, and her former

favorite, Sir Walter Raleigh. He contrived to send them both on a mission

against Spain; with them away from the court he managed to wrap his

tentacles around die queen, secure his position as her top adviser and

weaken her affection for Raleigh and the earl. The lesson here is twofold:

First, your absence from the court spells danger for you, and you should

never leave die scene in a time of turmoil, for your absence can botii

symbolize and induce a loss of power; second, and on die odier hand, luring

your enemies away from the court at critical moments is a great ploy.

Isolation has other strategic uses. When trying to seduce people, it is

often wise to isolate them from dieir usual social context. Once isolated

they are vulnerable to you, and your presence becomes magnified.

Similarly, con artists often look for ways to isolate their marks from their

normal social milieux, steering them into new environments in which diey

are no longer comfortable. Here they feel weak, and succumb to deception

more easily. Isolation, then, can prove a powerful way of bringing people

under your spell to seduce or swindle diem.

You will often find powerful people who have alienated themselves

from the group. Perhaps their power has gone to their heads, and they

consider themselves superior; perhaps they have lost the knack of

communicating with ordinary folk. Remember: This makes them

vulnerable. Powerful though they be, people like diis can be turned to use.

The monk Rasputin gained his power over Czar Nicholas and Czarina

Alexandra of Russia through dieir tremendous isolation from the people.

Alexandra in particular was a foreigner, and especially alienated from

everyday Russians; Rasputin used his peasant origins to insinuate himself

into her good graces, for she desperately wanted to communicate witii her

subjects. Once in the court's inner circle, Rasputin made himself

indispensable and attained great power. Heading straight for the center, he

aimed for die one figure in Russia who commanded power (the czarina

dominated her husband), and found he had no need to isolate her for the

work was already done. The Rasputin strategy can bring you great power:

Always search out people who hold high positions yet who find tiiem-

selves isolated on the board. They are like apples falling into your lap,

easily seduced, and able to catapult you into power yourself.

Finally, the reason you strike at the shepherd is because such an action

will dishearten the sheep beyond any rational measure. When Hernando

Cortes and Francisco Pizarro led their tiny forces against the Aztec and

Incan empires, they did not make the mistake of fighting on several fronts,

nor were they intimidated by die numbers arrayed against them; they

captured the kings, Moctezuma and Atahualpa. Vast empires fell into tiieir

hands. With die leader gone the center of gravity is gone; there is nothing to

revolve around and everything falls apart. Aim at the leaders, bring them

down, and look for the endless opportunities in the confusion that will

ensue.

Image: A Flock of Fatted

Sheep. Do not waste precious

time trying to steal a sheep or two; do

not risk life and limb by setting upon

the dogs that guard the flock. Aim at the

shepherd. Lure him away and the dogs

will follow. Strike him down and the flock will

scatteryou can pick them off one by one.

Authority: If you draw a bow, draw the strongest. If you use an arrow,

use the longest. To shoot a rider, first shoot his horse. To catch a gang of

bandits, first capture its leader. Just as a country has its border, so the killing

of men has its limits. If the enemy's attack can be stopped [with a blow to

the head], why have any more dead and wounded than necessary (Chinese

poet Tu Fu, Tang dynasty, eighth century)

REVERSAL

“Any harm you do to a man should be done in such a way mat you need

not fear his revenge,” writes Machiavelli. If you act to isolate your enemy,

make sure he lacks the means to repay the favor. If you apply this Law, in

other words, apply it from a position of superiority, so that you have

nothing to fear from his resentment.

Andrew Johnson, Abraham Lincoln's successor as U.S. president, saw

Ulysses S. Grant as a troublesome member of his government. So he

isolated Grant, as a prelude to forcing him out. This only enraged the great

general, however, who responded by forming a support base in the

Republican party and going on to become the next president. It would have

been far wiser to keep a man like Grant in the fold, where he could do less

harm, than to make him revengeful. And so you may often find it better to

keep people on your side, where you can watch them, than to risk creating

an angry enemy. Keeping them close, you can secretly whit-tie away at their

support base, so that when the time comes to cut them loose they will fall

fast and hard without knowing what hit them.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 43

WORK ON THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF OTHERS

JUDGMENT

Coercion creates a reaction that will eventually work against you. You

must seduce others into wanting to move in your direction. A person you

have seduced becomes your loyal pawn. And the way to seduce others is to

operate on their individual psychologies and weaknesses. Soften up the

resistant by working on their emotions, playing on what they hold dear and

what they fear. Ignore the hearts and minds of others and they will grow to

hate you.

Thinking of the means by which he could most effectively persuade the

Persians to revolt, [Cyrus's] deliberations led him to adopt the following

plan, which he found best suited to his purpose. He wrote on a roll of

parchment that Astyages had appointed him to command the Persian army;

then he summoned an assembly of the Persians, opened the roll in their

presence and read out what he had written. “And now, he added, I have an

order for you: every man is to appear on parade with a billhook. ...” The

order was obeyed. All the men assembled with their billhooks, and Cyrus's

next command was thai before the day was out they should clear a certain

piece of rough land full of thorn-bushes, about eighteen or twenty furlongs

square. This too was done, whereupon Cyrus issued the further order that

they should present themselves again on the following day, after having

taken a bath. Meanwhile, Cyrus collected and slaughtered all his father's

goats, sheep, and oxen in preparation for entertaining the whole Persian

army at a banquet, together with the best wine and bread he could procure.

The next day the guests assembled, and were

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

Near the end of the reign of Louis XV, all of France seemed desperate

for change. When the king's grandson and chosen successor, die future

Louis XVI, married the fifteen-year-old daughter of die empress of Austria,

die French caught a glimpse of die future diat seemed hopeful. The young

bride, Marie-Antoinette, was beautiful and full of life. She instantiy

changed the mood of die court, which was rank with Louis XV's

debaucheries; even the common people, who had yet to see her, talked

excitedly of Marie-Antoinette. The French had grown disgusted widi the

series of mistresses who had dominated Louis XV, and diey looked forward

to serving dieir new queen. In 1773, when Marie-Antoinette publicly rode

through the streets of Paris for the first time, applauding crowds swarmed

around her carriage. “How fortunate,” she wrote her mother, “to be in a

position in which one can gain widespread affection at so littie cost.”

In 1774 Louis XV died and Louis XVI took the tiirone. As soon as

Marie-Antoinette became queen she abandoned herself to die pleasures she

loved die mostordering and wearing die most expensive gowns and jewelry

in die realm; sporting die most elaborate hair in history, her sculpted

coiffures rising as much as diree feet above her head; and dirowing a

constant succession of masked balls and fetes. All of these whims she paid

for on credit, never concerning herself widi die cost or who paid die bills.

Marie-Antoinette's greatest pleasure was the creation and designing of a

private Garden of Eden at die Petit Trianon, a chateau on die grounds of

Versailles with its own woods. The gardens at die Petit Trianon were to be

as “natural” as possible, including moss applied by hand to the trees and

rocks. To heighten the pastoral effect, the queen employed peasant

milkmaids to milk die finest-looking cows in the realm; launderers and

cheese-makers in special peasant outfits she helped design; shepherds to

tend sheep with silk ribbons around their necks. When she inspected die

barns, she would watch her milkmaids squeezing milk into porcelain vases

made at the royal ceramic works. To pass die time, Marie-Antoinette would

gatiier flowers in the woods around die Petit Trianon, or watch her “good

peasants” doing tiieir “chores.” The place became a separate world, its

community limited to her chosen favorites.

Widi each new whim, the cost of maintaining the Petit Trianon soared.

Meanwhile, France itself was deteriorating: There was famine and

widespread discontent. Even socially insulated courtiers seemed with

resentmentdie queen treated them like children. Only her favorites mattered,

and diese were becoming fewer and fewer. But Marie-Antoinette did not

concern herself widi this. Not once throughout her reign did she read a

minister's report. Not once did she tour die provinces and rally the people to

her side. Not once did she mingle among die Parisians, or receive a

delegation from diem. She did none of tiiese tilings because as queen she

felt die people owed her their affection, and she was not required to love

diem in return.

In 1784 die queen became embroiled in a scandal. As part of an

elaborate swindle, die most expensive diamond necklace in Europe had

been

purchased under her name, and during the swindlers' trial her lavish

lifestyle became public: People heard about the money she spent on jewels

and dresses and masked dances. They gave her the nickname “Madame

Deficit,” and from then on she became the focus of the people's growing

resentment. When she appeared in her box at the opera the audience greeted

her witii hisses. Even the court turned against her. For while she had been

running up her huge expenditures, the country was headed for ruin.

Five years later, in 1789, an unprecedented event took place: the

beginning of die French Revolution. The queen did not worrylet the people

have dieir Uttle rebellion, she seemed to think; it would soon quiet down

and she would be able to resume her life of pleasure. That year die people

marched on Versailles, forcing the royal family to quit the palace and take

residence in Paris. This was a triumph for die rebels, but it offered die

queen an opportunity to heal the wounds she had opened and establish

contact witii die people. The queen, however, had not learned her lesson:

Not once would she leave the palace during her stay in Paris. Her subjects

could rot in hell for all she cared.

In 1792 the royal couple was moved from the palace to a prison, as the

revolution officially declared die end of die monarchy. The following year

Louis XVI was tried, found guilty, and guillotined. As Marie-Antoinette

awaited die same fate, hardly a soul came to her defensenot one of her

former friends in die court, not one of Europe's odier monarchs (who, as

members of dieir own countries' royal families, had all die reason in die

world to show that revolution did not pay), not even her own family in

Austria, including her brother, who now sat on the throne. She had become

the world's pariah. In October of 1793, she finally knelt at the guillotine,

unrepentant and defiant to die bitter end.

Interpretation

From early on, Marie-Antoinette acquired the most dangerous of

attitudes: As a young princess in Austria she was endlessly flattered and

cajoled. As die future queen of the French court she was the center of

everyone's attention. She never learned to charm or please other people, to

become attuned to dieir individual psychologies. She never had to work to

get her way, to use calculation or cunning or die arts of persuasion. And like

everyone who is indulged from an early age, she evolved into a monster of

in-sensitivity.

Marie-Antoinette became the focus of an entire country's dissatisfaction

because it is so infuriating to meet with a person who makes no effort to

seduce you or attempt to persuade you, even if only for die purpose of

deception. And do not imagine diat she represents a bygone era, or diat she

is even rare. Her type is today more common than ever. Such types live in

dieir own bubbletiiey seem to feel tiiey are born kings and queens, and that

attention is owed them. They do not consider anyone else's nature, but

bulldoze over people with the self-righteous arrogance of a Marie-

Antoinette. Pampered and indulged as children, as adults tiiey still believe

told to sit down on the grass and enjoy themselves. After the meal

Cyrus asked them which they preferred yesterday's work or today's

amusement; and they replied that it was indeed a far cry from the previous

day's misery to their present pleasures. This was the answer which Cyrus

wanted; he seized upon it at once and proceeded to lay bare what he had in

mind. “Men of Persia,” he said, “listen to me: obey my orders, and you will

be able to enjoy a thousand pleasures as good as this without ever turning

your hands to menial labor; but, if you disobey, yesterday 's task will be the

pattern of innumerable others you will be forced to perform. Take my

advice and win your freedom. 1 am the man destined to undertake your

liberation, and it is my belief that you are a match for the Medes in war as

in everything else. It is the truth I tell you. Do not delay, but fling off the

yoke of Astyages at once.”

The Persians had long resented their subjection to the Medes. At last

they had found a leader, and welcomed with enthusiasm the prospect of

liberty.... On the present occasion the Persians under Cyrus rose against the

Medes and from then onwards were masters of Asia.

the histories, Herodotus, fifth century b.c..

'I UK

The north wind and the

sun were disputing

which was the stronger,

and agreed to

acknowledge as the

victor whichever of

them could strip a

traveler of his clothing.

The wind tried first.

But its violent gusts

only made the man

hold his clothes tightly

around him, and when

it blew harder still the

cold made him so

uncomfortable that he

put on an extra wrap.

Eventually the wind

got tired of it and

handed him over to the

sun. The sun shone first

with a moderate

warmth, which made

the man take off his

topcoat. Then it blazed

fiercely, till, unable

to stand the heat,

he stripped and went

off to bathe in a

nearby river.

Persuasion is more

effective than force.

FABLES,

Aesop, sixth century b.c.

that everything must come to them; convinced of their own charm, they

make no effort to charm, seduce, or gently persuade.

In the realm of power, such attitudes are disastrous. At all times you

must attend to those around you, gauging their particular psychology,

tailoring your words to what you know will entice and seduce them. This

requires energy and art. The higher your station, the greater the need to

remain attuned to the hearts and minds of those below you, creating a base

of support to maintain you at the pinnacle. Without that base, your power

will teeter, and at the slightest change of fortune those below will gladly

assist in your fall from grace.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

In A.D. 225, Chuko Liang, master strategist and chief minister to the

ruler of Shu in ancient China, confronted a dangerous situation. The

kingdom of Wei had mounted an all-out attack on Shu from the north. More

dangerous still, Wei had formed an alliance with the barbarous states to the

south of Shu, led by King Menghuo. Chuko Liang had to deal with this

second menace from the south before he could hope to fend off Wei in the

north.

As Chuko Liang prepared to march south against the barbarians, a wise

man in his camp offered him advice. It would be impossible, this man said,

to pacify the region by force. Liang would probably beat Menghuo, but as

soon as he headed north again to deal with Wei, Menghuo would reinvade.

“It is better to win hearts,” said the wise man, “than cities; better to battie

with hearts than with weapons. I hope you will succeed in winning the

hearts of these people.” “You read my thoughts,” responded Chuko Liang.

As Liang expected, Menghuo launched a powerful attack. But Liang

laid a trap and managed to capture a large part of Menghuo's army,

including the king himself. Instead of punishing or executing his prisoners,

however, he separated the soldiers from their king, had their shackles

removed, regaled them with food and wine, and then addressed them. “You

are all upright men,” he said. “I believe you all have parents, wives, and

children waiting for you at home. They are doubtless shedding bitter tears at

your fate. I am going to release you, so that you can return home to your

loved ones and comfort them.” The men thanked Liang with tears in their

eyes; then he sent for Menghuo. “If I release you,” asked Liang, “what will

you do” “I will pull my army together again,” answered the king, “and lead

it against you to a decisive battle. But if you capture me a second time, I

will bow to your superiority.” Not only did Liang order Menghuo released,

he gave him a gift of a horse and saddle. When angry lieutenants wondered

why he did this, Liang told them, “I can capture that man as easily as I can

take something out of my pocket. I am trying to win his heart. When I do,

peace will come of itself here in the south.”

As Menghuo had said he would, he attacked again. But his own officers,

whom Liang had treated so well, rebelled against him, captured him, and

turned him over to Liang, who asked him again die same question as

before. Menghuo replied that he had not been beaten fairly, but merely

betrayed by his own officers; he would fight again, but if captured a third

time he would bow to Liang's superiority.

Over the following months Liang outwitted Menghuo again and again,

capturing him a third, a fourth, and a fifth time. On each occasion Meng-

huo's troops grew more dissatisfied. Liang had treated mem with respect;

they had lost their heart for fighting. But every time Chuko Liang asked

Menghuo to yield, the great king would come up with another excuse: You

tricked me, I lost through bad luck, on and on. If you capture me again, he

would promise, I swear I will not betray you. And so Liang would let him

go.

When he captured Menghuo for the sixth time, he asked the king the

same question again. “If you capture me a sevendi time,” die king replied,

“I shall give you my loyalty and never rebel again.” “Very well,” said

Liang. “But if I capture you again, I will not release you.”

Now Menghuo and his soldiers fled to a far corner of their kingdom, the

region of Wuge. Defeated so many times, Menghuo had only one hope left:

He would ask the help of King Wutugu of Wuge, who had an immense and

ferocious army. Wutugu's warriors wore an armor of tightly woven vines

soaked in oil, then dried to an impenetrable hardness. Wifh Menghuo at his

side, Wutugu marched diis mighty army against Liang, and this time the

great strategist seemed frightened, leading his men in a hurried retreat. But

he was merely leading Wutugu into a trap: He cornered the king's men in a

narrow valley, then lit fires set all around them. When the fires reached the

soldiers Wutugu's whole army burst into flamethe oil in their armor, of

course, being highly flammable. All of them perished.

Liang had managed to separate Menghuo and his entourage from the

carnage in the valley, and the king found himself a captive for the seventh

time. After this slaughter Liang could not bear to face his prisoner again. He

sent a messenger to the captured king: “He has commissioned me to release

you. Mobilize another army against him, if you can, and try once more to

defeat him.” Sobbing, the king fell to the ground, crawled to Liang on his

hands and knees, and prostrated himself at his feet. “Oh great minister,”

cried Menghuo, “yours is the majesty of Heaven. We men of the south will

never again offer resistance to your rule.” “Do you now yield” asked Liang.

“I, my sons, and my grandsons are deeply moved by Your Honor's

boundless, life-giving mercy. How could we not yield”

Liang honored Menghuo with a great banquet, reestablished him on the

throne, restored his conquered lands to his rule, then returned north with his

army, leaving no occupying force. Liang never came backhe had no need to:

Menghuo had become his most devoted and unshakable ally.

Interpretation

Chuko Liang had two options: Try to defeat the barbarians in the south

with one crushing blow, or patiendy and slowly win them to his side over

time. Most people more powerful man their enemy grab the first option and

never consider die second, but the truly powerful think far ahead: The

The men who have changed the universe have never gotten there by

working on leaders, but rather by moving the masses. Working on leaders is

the method of intrigue and only leads to secondary results. Working on the

masses, however, is the stroke of genius that changes the face of the world.

Napoleon Bonaparte, 1769-1821

This long and painful pursuit of Dariusfor in eleven days he marched 33

hundred furlongsharassed his soldiers so that most of them were ready to

give it up, chiefly for want of water. While they were in this distress, it

happened that some Macedonians who had fetched water in skins upon their

mules from a river they had found out came about noon to the place where

Alexander was, and seeing him almost choked with thirst, presently filled a

helmet and offered it him.... Then he took the helmet into his hands, and

looking round about, when he saw all those who were near him stretching

their heads out and looking earnestly after the drink, he returned it again

with thanks

without tasting a drop of it. “For,”said he, “if I alone should drink, the

rest will be out of heart.” The soldiers no sooner took notice of his

temperance and magnanimity upon this occasion, but they one and all cried

out to him to lead them forward boldly, and began whipping on their horses.

For whilst they had such a king they said they defied both weariness and

thirst, and looked upon themselves to be little less than immortal.

the life of

alexander tiik great,

Plutarch,

c. a. n. 46-120

first option may be quick and easy, but over time it brews ugly emotions

in the hearts of the vanquished. Their resentment turns to hatred; such

animosity keeps you on edgeyou spend your energy protecting what you

have gained, growing paranoid and defensive. The second option, though

more difficult, not only brings you peace of mind, it converts a potential

enemy into a pillar of support.

In all your encounters, take a step backtake the time to calculate and

attune yourself to your targets' emotional makeup and psychological

weaknesses. Force will only strengthen their resistance. With most people

the heart is the key: They are like children, ruled by their emotions. To

soften them up, alternate harshness with mercy. Play on their basic fears,

and also their lovesfreedom, family, etc. Once you break them down, you

will have a lifelong friend and fiercely loyal ally.

Governments saw men only in mass; but our men, being irregulars,

were not

formations, but individuals. . . . Our kingdoms lay in each man's mind.

Seven Pillars ofWisdom, T. E. Lawrence, 1888-1935

KEYS TO POWER

In the game of power, you are surrounded by people who have

absolutely no reason to help you unless it is in their interest to do so. And if

you have nothing to offer their self-interest, you are likely to make them

hostile, for tfiey will see in you just one more competitor, one more waster

of their time. Those that overcome this prevailing coldness are the ones who

find the key that unlocks the stranger's heart and mind, seducing him into

their corner, if necessary softening him up for a punch. But most people

never learn this side of die game. When they meet someone new, rather than

stepping back and probing to see what makes this person unique, they talk

about themselves, eager to impose their own willpower and prejudices.

They argue, boast, and make a show of their power. They may not know it

but they are secretly creating an enemy, a resister, because there is no more

infuriating feeling than having your individuality ignored, your own

psychology unacknowledged. It makes you feel lifeless and resentful.

Remember: The key to persuasion is softening people up and breaking

them down, gently. Seduce them with a two-pronged approach: Work on

their emotions and play on their intellectual weaknesses. Be alert to both

what separates them from everyone else (their individual psychology) and

what they share with everyone else (their basic emotional responses). Aim

at the primary emotionslove, hate, jealousy. Once you move their emotions

you have reduced their control, making them more vulnerable to

persuasion.

When Chuko Liang wanted to dissuade an important general of a rival

kingdom from entering into an alliance with Ts'ao Ts'ao, Liang's dreaded

enemy, he did not detail Ts'ao Ts'ao's cruelty, or attack him on moral

grounds. Instead Liang suggested that Ts'ao Ts'ao was really after the gen-

eral's beautiful young wife. This hit die general in the gut, and won him

over. Mao Tse-tung similarly always appealed to popular emotions, and

spoke in the simplest terms. Educated and well-read himself, in his

speeches he used visceral metaphors, voicing the public's deepest anxieties

and encouraging diem to vent meir frustrations in public meetings. Radier

than arguing die practical aspects of a particular program, he would

describe how it would affect them on die most primitive, down-to-earth

level. Do not believe diat diis approach works only with die illiterate and

unschooledit works on one and all. All of us are mortal and face the same

dreadful fate, and all of us share die desire for attachment and belonging.

Stir up these emotions and you captivate our hearts.

The best way to do this is with a dramatic jolt, of the kind that Chuko

Liang created when he fed and released prisoners who expected only the

worst from him. Shaking diem to the core, he softened their hearts. Play on

contrasts like this: Push people to despair, dien give them relief. If diey

expect pain and you give them pleasure, you win meir hearts. Creating

pleasure of any kind, in fact, will usually bring you success, as will allaying

fears and providing or promising security.

Symbolic gestures are often enough to win sympadiy and goodwill. A

gesture of self-sacrifice, for examplea show that you suffer as those around

you dowill make people identify witii you, even if your suffering is

symbolic or minor and dieirs is real. When you enter a group, make a

gesture of goodwill; soften the group up for the harsher actions that will

follow later.

When T. E. Lawrence was fighting the Turks in die deserts of die

Middle East during World War I, he had an epiphany: It seemed to him that

conventional warfare had lost its value. The old-fashioned soldier was lost

in the enormous armies of the time, in which he was ordered about like a

lifeless pawn. Lawrence wanted to turn this around. For him, every soldier's

mind was a kingdom he had to conquer. A committed, psychologically

motivated soldier would fight harder and more creatively than a puppet.

Lawrence's perception is still more true in die world today, where so

many of us feel alienated, anonymous, and suspicious of authority, all of

which makes overt power plays and force even more counterproductive and

dangerous. Instead of manipulating lifeless pawns, make mose on your side

convinced and excited by die cause you have enlisted diem in; this will not

only make your work easier but it will also give you more leeway to

deceive tilem later on. And to accomplish diis you need to deal with tiieir

individual psychologies. Never clumsily assume that the tactic that worked

on one person will necessarily work on anodier. To find tile key diat will

motivate diem, first get tiiem to open up. The more they talk, die more they

reveal about their likes and dislikesdie handles and levers to move diem

widi.

The quickest way to secure people's minds is by demonstrating, as

simply as possible, how an action will benefit them. Self-interest is the

strongest motive of all: A great cause may capture minds, but once die

first flush of excitement is over, interest will flagunless there is something

to be gained. Self-interest is the solider foundation. The causes that work

best use a noble veneer to cover a blatant appeal to self-interest; the cause

seduces but the self-interest secures the deal.

The people who are best at appealing to people's minds are often artists,

intellectuals, and those of a more poetic nature. This is because ideas are

most easily communicated through metaphors and imagery. It is always

good policy, men, to have in your pocket at least one artist or intellectual

who can appeal concretely to people's minds. Kings have always kept a

stable of writers in meir barn: Frederick the Great had his Voltaire (until

tiiey quarreled and separated), Napoleon won over Goethe. Conversely,

Napoleon Ill's alienation of writers such as Victor Hugo, whom he exiled

from France, contributed to his growing unpopularity and eventual

downfall. It is dangerous, then, to alienate those who have powers of

expression, and useful to pacify and exploit them.

Finally, learn to play the numbers game. The wider your support base

the stronger your power. Understanding that one alienated, disaffected soul

can spark a blaze of discontent, Louis XIV made sure to endear himself to

die lowest members of his staff. You too must constantiy win over more

allies on all levelsa time will inevitably come when you will need diem.

Image: The Keyhole. People build walls to keep you out; never force

your way in you will find only more walls within walls. There are doors in

these walls, doors to the heart and mind, and they have tiny keyholes. Peer

through the keyhole, find the key that opens the door, and you have access

to their will with no ugly signs of forced entry.

Authority: The difficulties in the way of persuasion lie in my knowing

the heart of the persuaded in order thereby to fit my wording into it. . . . For

this reason, whoever attempts persuasion before the throne, must carefully

observe the sovereign's feelings of love and hate, his secret wishes and

fears, before he can conquer his heart. (Han-fei-tzu, Chinese philosopher,

third century B.C.)

REVERSAL

There is no possible reversal to this Law.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 44

DISARM AND INFURIATE WITH THE MIRROR EFFECT

JUDGMENT

The mirror reflects reality, but it is also the perfect tool for deception:

When you mirror your enemies, doing exactly as they do, they cannot

figure out your strategy. The Mirror Effect mocks and humiliates them,

making them overreact. By holding up a mirror to their psyches, you seduce

them with the illusion that you share their values; by holding up a mirror to

their actions, you teach them a lesson. Few can resist the power of the

Mirror Effect.

MIRROR EFFECTS: Preliminary Typology

Mirrors have the power to disturb us. Gazing at our reflection in the

mirror, we most often see what we want to seethe image of ourselves with

which we are most comfortable. We tend not to look too closely, ignoring

the wrinkles and blemishes. But if we do look hard at the reflected image,

we sometimes feel that we are seeing ourselves as others see us, as a person

among other people, an object rather than a subject. That feeling makes us

shudderwe see ourselves, but from the outside, minus the thoughts, spirit,

and soul that fill our consciousness. We are a thing.

In using Mirror Effects we symbolically re-create this disturbing power

by mirroring the actions of other people, mimicking their movements to

unsettle and infuriate them. Made to feel mocked, cloned, objectlike, an

image without a soul, they get angry. Or do the same thing slightly differ-

endy and they might feel disarmedyou have perfectly reflected their wishes

and desires. This is the narcissistic power of mirrors. In either case, the

Mirror Effect unsettles your targets, whether angering or entrancing them,

and in mat instant you have die power to manipulate or seduce them. The

Effect contains great power because it operates on the most primitive

emotions.

There are four main Mirror Effects in the realm of power:

The Neutralizing Effect. In ancient Greek mythology, the Gorgon

Medusa had serpents for hair, protruding tongue, massive teeth, and a face

so ugly that anyone who gazed at her was turned into stone, out of fright.

But the hero Perseus managed to slay Medusa by polishing his bronze

shield into a mirror, men using the reflection in the mirror to guide him as

he crept up and cut off her head without looking at her directly. If the shield

in this instance was a mirror, the mirror also was a kind of shield: Medusa

could not see Perseus, she saw only her own reflected actions, and behind

this screen the hero stole up and destroyed her.

This is me essence of the Neutralizing Effect: Do what your enemies do,

following their actions as best you can, and they cannot see what you are up

tothey are blinded by your mirror. Their strategy for dealing with you

depends on your reacting to them in a way characteristic of you; neutralize

it by playing a game of mimicry with them. The tactic has a mocking, even

infuriating effect. Most of us remember the childhood experience of

someone teasing us by repeating our words exactiyafter a while, usually not

long, we wanted to punch diem in the face. Working more subdy as an

adult, you can still unsettie your opponents diis way; shielding your own

strategy widi the mirror, you lay invisible traps, or push your opponents into

the trap they planned for you.

This powerful technique has been used in military strategy since the

days of Sun-tzu; in our own time it often appears in political campaigning.

It is also useful for disguising those situations in which you have no

particular strategy yourself. This is the Warrior's Mirror.

A reverse version of the Neutralizing Effect is the Shadow: You

THE MERCHANT AND HIS ITilEND

A certain merchant once had a great desire to make a long journey. Now

in regard that he was not very wealthy, “It is requisite,” said he to himself,

“that before my departure 1 should leave some part of my estate in the city,

to the end that if I meet with ill luck in my travels, I may have wherewithal

to keep me at my return.” To this purpose he delivered a great number of

bars of iron, which were a principal part of his wealth, in trust to one of his

friends, desiring him to keep them during his absence; and then, taking his

leave, away he went. Some time after, having had but ill luck in his travels,

he returned home; and the first thing he did was to go to his friend, and

demand his iron: but his friend, who owed several sums of money, having

sold the iron to pay his own debts, made him this answer: “ Truly, friend,”

said he, “I put your iron into a room that was close locked, imagining it

would have been there as secure as my own gold; but an accident has

happened which no one could have suspected, for there was a rat in the

room which ate it all up.” The merchant, pretending ignorance, replied, "It

is a terrible misfortune to me indeed; but I know of

old that rats love iron extremely; I have suffered by them many times

before in the same manner, and therefore can the better bear my present

affliction.“ This answer extremely pleased the friend, who was glad to hear

the merchant so well inclined to believe that a rat had eaten his iron; and to

remove all suspicions, desired him to dine with him the next day. The

merchant promised he would, but in the meantime he met in the middle of

the city one of his friend's children; the child he carried home, and locked

up in a room. The next day he went to his friend, who seemed to be in great

affliction, which he asked him the cause of, as if he had been perfectly

ignorant of what had happened. ”O, my dear friend,“ answered the other, ”I

beg you to excuse me, if you do not see me so cheerful as otherwise I would

be; I have lost one of my children; I have had him cried by sound of

trumpet, but I know not what is become of him. “ ”Of“ replied the

merchant, ”1 am grieved to hear this; for yesterday in the evening, as I

parted from hence, I saw an owl in the air with a child in his claws; but

whether it were yours I cannot tell.“ ”Why, you most foolish and absurd

creature!,' replied the friend, "are you not ashamed to tell such an egregious

lie An owl, that weighs at

shadow your opponents' every move without their seeing you. Use the

Shadow to gather information that will neutralize their strategy later on,

when you will be able to thwart their every move. The Shadow is effective

because to follow the movements of others is to gain valuable insights into

their habits and routines. The Shadow is the preeminent device for

detectives and spies.

The Narcissus Effect. Gazing at an image in the waters of a pond, the

Greek youth Narcissus fell in love with it. And when he found out that the

image was his own reflection, and that he therefore could not consummate

his love, he despaired and drowned himself. All of us have a similar

problem: We are profoundly in love with ourselves, but since this love

excludes a love object outside ourselves, it remains continuously unsatisfied

and unfulfilled. The Narcissus Effect plays on this universal narcissism:

You look deep into the souls of odier people; fathom their inmost desires,

their values, their tastes, their spirit; and you reflect it back to them, making

yourself into a kind of mirror image. Your ability to reflect their psyche

gives you great power over them; they may even feel a tinge of love.

This is simply the ability to mimic another person not physically, but

psychologically, and it is immensely powerful because it plays upon the

unsatisfied self-love of a child. Normally, people bombard us with their

experiences, their tastes. They hardly ever make the effort to see things

through our eyes. This is annoying, but it also creates great opportunity: If

you can show you understand another person by reflecting their inmost

feelings, they will be entranced and disarmed, all the more so because it

happens so rarely. No one can resist this feeling of being harmoniously

reflected in the outside world, even though you might well be

manufacturing it for their benefit, and for deceptive purposes of your own.

The Narcissus Effect works wonders in both social life and business; it

gives us both the Seducer's and the Courtier's Mirror.

The Moral Effect The power of verbal argument is extremely limited,

and often accomplishes the opposite of what is intended. As Gracian

remarks, “The truth is generally seen, rarely heard.” The Moral Effect is a

perfect way to demonstrate your ideas through action. Quite simply, you

teach others a lesson by giving them a taste of their own medicine.

In the Moral Effect, you mirror what other people have done to you, and

do so in a way that makes them realize you are doing to them exacdy what

they did to you. You make them feel that their behavior has been

unpleasant, as opposed to hearing you complain and whine about it, which

only gets their defenses up. And as they feel the result of dieir actions

mirrored back at them, they realize in the profoundest sense how they hurt

or punish others with their unsocial behavior. You objectify the qualities

you want them to feel ashamed of and create a mirror in which they can

gaze at their follies and learn a lesson about themselves. This technique is

often used by educators, psychologists, and anyone who has to deal with

un-

pleasant and unconscious behavior. This is the Teacher's Mirror.

Whether or not there is actually anydiing wrong witii the way people have

treated you, however, it can often be to your advantage to reflect it back to

them in a way that makes them feel guilty about it.

The Hallucinatory Effect Mirrors are tremendously deceptive, for they

create a sense that you are looking at the real world. Actually, though, you

are only staring at a piece of glass, which, as everyone knows, cannot show

the world exactly as it is: Everything in a mirror is reversed. When Alice

goes dirough the looking glass in Lewis Carroll's book, she enters a world

that is back-to-front, and more than just visually.

The Hallucinatory Effect comes from creating a perfect copy of an

object, a place, a person. This copy acts as a kind of dummypeople take it

for the real thing, because it has the physical appearance of the real thing.

This is the preeminent technique of con artists, who strategically mimic the

real world to deceive you. It also has applications in any arena that requires

camouflage. This is the Deceiver's Mirror.

OBSERVANCES OF MIRROR EFFECTS

Observance I

In February of 1815, the emperor Napoleon escaped from the island of

Elba, where he had been imprisoned by die allied forces of Europe, and

returned to Paris in a march that stirred the French nation, rallying troops

and citizens of all classes to his side and chasing his successor, King Louis

XVIII, off the throne. By March, however, having reestablished himself in

power, he had to face the fact that France's situation had gravely changed.

The country was devastated, he had no allies among the other European

nations, and his most loyal and important ministers had deserted him or left

the country. Only one man remained from die old regimeJoseph Fouche, his

former minister of police.

Napoleon had relied on Fouche to do his dirty work throughout his

previous reign, but he had never been able to figure his minister out. He

kept a corps of agents to spy on all of his ministers, so that he would always

have an edge on them, but no one had gotten anything on Fouche. If

suspected of some misdeed, the minister would not get angry or take the

accusation personallyhe would submit, nod, smile, and change colors

chameleonlike, adapting to tiie requirements of die moment. At first diis

had seemed somewhat pleasant and charming, but after a while it frustrated

Napoleon, who felt outdone by this slippery man. At one time or another he

had fired all of his most important ministers, including Talleyrand, but he

never touched Fouche. And so, in 1815, back in power and in need of help,

he felt he had no choice but to reappoint Fouche as his minister of police.

Several weeks into his new reign, Napoleon's spies told him they be-

most not above two or three pounds, can he carry a boy that weighs

above fifty“ ”Why, “ replied the merchant, ”do you make such a wonder at

that As if in a country where one rat can eat a hundred tons ' weight of iron,

it were such a wonder for an owl to carry a child that weighs not over fifty

pounds in all!" The friend, upon this, found that the merchant was no such

fool as he took him to be, begged his pardon for the cheat which he

designed to have put upon him, restored him the value of his iron, and so

had his son again. ,

India,

fourth century

When you have come to grips and are striving together with the enemy,

and you realize that you cannot advance, you “soak in” and become one

with the enemy. You can win by applying a suitable technique while you are

mutually entangled. ... You can win often decisively with the advantage of

knowing how to “soak ” into the enemy, whereas, were you to draw apart,

you would lose the chance to win.

a book of five rings, Miyamoto Musashi, Japan, seventeenth century

One day Mr. Fox decided to fork out And invite old Mrs. Stork out. The

dinner wasn 't elaborate Being habitually mean, He didn 't go in for haute

cuisine In fact it consisted of a shallow plate Of thin gruel. Within a minute

Our joker had lapped his plate clean; Meanwhile his guest. fishing away

with her beak, Got not a morsel in it. To pay him back for this cruel

Practical joke, the stork invited The fox to dinner the following week. “I

should be delighted,” He replied; “ When it comes to friends I never stand

upon pride. ” Punctually on the day he ran To his hostess's house and at

once began Praising everything: “What taste! What chic! And the fooddone

just to a turn!” Then sat down with a hearty appetite (Foxes are always

ready to eat) And savored the delicious smell of meat. It was minced meat

and servedto serve him right! In a long-necked, narrow-mouthed urn. The

stork, easily stooping, Enjoyed her fill With her long bill; His snout, though,

lieved Fouche was in secret contact with ministers of foreign countries,

including Metternich of Austria. Afraid that his most valuable minister was

betraying him to his enemies, Napoleon had to find out the truth before it

was too late. He could not confront Fouche directlyin person the man was

as slippery as an eel. He needed hard proof.

This seemed to come in April, when the emperor's private police cap

tured a Viennese gentleman who had come to Paris to pass information on

to Fouche. Ordering the man brought before him, Napoleon threatened to

shoot him then and mere unless he confessed; the man broke down and

admitted he had given Fouche a letter from Metternich, written in invisible

ink, arranging for a secret meeting of special agents in Basel. Napoleon

accordingly ordered one of his own agents to infiltrate this meeting. If

Fouche was indeed planning to betray him, he would finally be caught red-

handed and would hang.

Napoleon waited impatiently for the agent's return, but to his

bewilderment the agent showed up days later reporting that he had heard

nothing that would implicate Fouche in a conspiracy. In fact it seemed that

the other agents present suspected Fouche of double-crossing them, as if he

were working for Napoleon all along. Napoleon did not believe this for an

instantFouche had somehow outwitted him again.

The following morning Fouche visited Napoleon, and remarked, “By

me way, sire, I never told you tiiat I had a letter from Metternich a few days

ago; my mind was so full of things of greater moment. Besides, his

emissary omitted to give me die powder needed to make die writing legible.

. . . Here at lengdi is the letter.” Sure that Fouche was toying widi him,

Napoleon exploded, “You are a traitor, Fouche! I ought to have you

hanged.” He continued to harangue Fouche, but could not fire him without

proof. Fouche only expressed amazement at die emperor's words, but

inwardly he smiled, for all along he had been playing a mirroring game.

Interpretation

Fouche had known for years that Napoleon kept on top of those around

him by spying on them day and night. The minister had survived this game

by having his own spies spy on Napoleon's spies, dius neutralizing any

action Napoleon might take against him. In the case of die meeting in Basel,

he even turned die tables: Knowing about Napoleon's double agent, he set it

up so that it would appear as if Fouche were a loyal double agent too.

Fouche gained power and flourished in a period of great tumult by

mirroring those around him. During the French Revolution he was a radical

Jacobin; after die Terror he became a moderate republican; and under

Napoleon he became a committed imperialist whom Napoleon ennobled

and made die duke of Otranto. If Napoleon took up the weapon of digging

up dirt on people, Fouche made sure he had die dirt on Napoleon, as well as

on everyone else. This also allowed him to predict die emperor's plans and

desires, so that he could echo his boss's sentiments before he had even

uttered diem. Shielding his actions witii a mirror strategy, Fouche could

also plot offensive moves widiout being caught in die act.

This is the power of mirroring those around you. First, you give people

the feeling that you share their thoughts and goals. Second, if they

suspect you have ulterior motives, the mirror shields you from them,

preventing them from figuring out your strategy. Eventually this will

infuriate and unsettle them. By playing the double, you steal their thunder,

suck away dieir initiative, make them feel helpless. You also gain die ability

to choose when and how to unsettle themanother avenue to power. And the

mirror saves you mental energy: simply echoing die moves of others gives

you the space you need to develop a strategy of your own.

Observance II

Early on in his career, the ambitious statesman and general Alcibiades

of Athens (450-404 B.C.) fashioned a formidable weapon that became the

source of his power. In every encounter widi odiers, he would sense dieir

moods and tastes, then carefully tailor his words and actions to mirror their

inmost desires. He would seduce diem with the idea that dieir values were

superior to everyone else's, and that his goal was to model himself on them

or help them realize dieir dreams. Few could resist his charm.

The first man to fall under his spell was die philosopher Socrates.

Alcibiades represented the opposite of the Socratic ideal of simplicity and

uprightness: He lived lavishly and was completely unprincipled. Whenever

he met Socrates, however, he mirrored the older man's sobriety, eating

simply, accompanying Socrates on long walks, and talking only of

philosophy and virtue. Socrates was not completely fooledhe was not

unaware of Alcibiades' otiier life. But diat only made him vulnerable to a

logic that flattered him: Only in my presence, he felt, does this man submit

to a virtuous influence; only I have such power over him. This feeling

intoxicated Socrates, who became Alcibiades' fervent admirer and

supporter, one day even risking his own life to rescue the young man in

battle.

The Adienians considered Alcibiades dieir greatest orator, for he had an

uncanny ability to tune in to his audience's aspirations, and mirror their

desires. He made his greatest speeches in support of die invasion of Sicily,

which he diought would bring great wealth to Adiens and limidess glory to

himself. The speeches gave expression to young Adienians' thirst to

conquer lands for themselves, rather than living off die victories of their

ancestors. But he also tailored his words to reflect older men's nostalgia for

die glory years when Adiens led die Greeks against Persia, and dien went

on to create an empire. All Athens now dreamed of conquering Sicily;

Alcibiades' plan was approved, and he was made the expedition's

commander.

While Alcibiades was leading die invasion of Sicily, however, certain

Adienians fabricated charges against him of profaning sacred statues. He

knew his enemies would have him executed if he returned home, so at die

last minute he deserted the Adienian fleet and defected to Athens's bitter

enemy, Sparta. The Spartans welcomed this great man to their side, but diey

knew his reputation and were wary of him. Alcibiades loved luxury; die

Spartans were a warrior people who worshipped austerity, and they were

afraid he would corrupt their youth. But much to dieir relief, the Al-

being the wrong shape and size, He had to return to his den

Empty-bellied, tail dragging, ears drooping,

As red in the face as a fox who's been caught by a hen.

selected fables, Jean de La Fontaine, 1621-1695

When I wish to find out how wise, or how stupid, or how good, or how

wicked is any one, or what are his thoughts at the moment, I fashion the

expression of my face, as accurately as possible, in accordance with the

expression of his, and then wait to see what thoughts or sentiments arise in

my mind or heart, as if to match or correspond with the expression.

Edgar Allan Poe, 1809-1849

Lorenzo [de' Medici] lost no opportunity of increasing the respect which

Pope Innocent now felt for him and of gaining his friendship, if possible his

affection. He took the trouble to discover the Pope's tastes and indulged

them accordingly. He sent him ... casks of his favourite wine.... He sent him

courteous, flattering letters in which he assured him, when the Pope was ill,

that he felt his sufferings as though they were his own, in which he

encouraged him with such fortifying statements as “a Pope is what he wills

to be, ” and in which, as though incidentally, he included his views on the

proper course of papal policies. Innocent was gratified by Lorenzo's

attentions and convinced by his arguments.... So completely, indeed, did he

come to share his opinions that, as the disgruntled Ferrarese ambassador put

it, “the Pope sleeps with the eyes of the Magnificent Lorenzo. ”

the house

of medici:

its rise and fall,

Christopher Hibbert,

cibiades who arrived in Sparta was not at all what they expected: He

wore his hair untrimmed (as they did), took cold baths, ate coarse bread and

black broth, and wore simple domes. To the Spartans this signified mat he

had come to see their way of life as superior to the Athenian; greater than

they were, he had chosen to be a Spartan rather than being born one, and

should thus be honored above all others. They fell under his spell and gave

him great powers. Unfortunately Alcibiades rarely knew how to rein in his

charmhe managed to seduce the king of Sparta's wife and make her

pregnant. When this became public he once more had to flee for his life.

This time Alcibiades defected to Persia, where he suddenly went from

Spartan simplicity to embracing die lavish Persian lifestyle down to the last

detail. It was of course immensely flattering to the Persians to see a Greek

of Alcibiades' stature prefer their culture over his own, and they showered

him with honors, land, and power. Once seduced by the mirror, they failed

to notice that behind this shield Alcibiades was playing a double game, se-

credy helping the Athenians in their war with Sparta and thus reingratiat-ing

himself with the city to which he desperately wanted to return, and which

welcomed him back with open arms in 408 B.C. Interpretation

Early in his political career, Alcibiades made a discovery that changed

his whole approach to power: He had a colorful and forceful personality,

but when he argued his ideas strongly with other people he would win over

a few while at the same time alienating many more. The secret to gaining

ascendancy over large numbers, he came to believe, was not to impose his

colors but to absorb the colors of those around him, like a chameleon. Once

people fell for the trick, the deceptions he went on to practice would be

invisible to them.

Understand: Everyone is wrapped up in their own narcissistic shell.

When you try to impose your own ego on them, a wall goes up, resistance is

increased. By mirroring them, however, you seduce them into a kind of

narcissistic rapture: They are gazing at a double of their own soul. This

double is actually manufactured in its entirety by you. Once you have used

the mirror to seduce them, you have great power over them.

It is worth noting, however, the dangers in the promiscuous use of the

mirror. In Alcibiades' presence people felt larger, as if their egos had been

doubled. But once he left, they felt empty and diminished, and when they

saw him mirroring completely different people as totally as he had mirrored

them, they felt not just diminished but betrayed. Alcibiades' overuse of the

Mirror Effect made whole peoples feel used, so that he constandy had to

flee from one place to another. Indeed Alcibiades so angered the Spartans

that they finally had him murdered. He had gone too far. The Seducer's

Mirror must be used with caution and discrimination.

Observance III

In 1652 the recendy widowed Baroness Mancini moved her family from

Rome to Paris, where she could count on the influence and protection of

her brother Cardinal Mazarin, the French prime minister. Of the

baroness's five daughters, four dazzled the court with their beauty and high

spirits. These infamously charming nieces of Cardinal Mazarin became

known as the Mazarinettes, and soon found themselves invited to all the

most important court functions.

One daughter, Marie Mancini, did not share this good fortune, for she

lacked the beauty and grace of her sisterswho, along with her mother and

even Cardinal Mazarin, eventually came to dislike her, for they felt she

spoiled the family image. They tried to persuade her to enter a convent,

where she would be less of an embarrassment, but she refused. Instead she

applied herself to her studies, learning Latin and Greek, perfecting her

French, and practicing her musical skills. On the rare occasions when the

family would let her attend court affairs, she trained herself to be an artful

listener, sizing people up for their weaknesses and hidden desires. And

when she finally met the future King Louis XIV, in 1657 (Louis was

seventeen years old, Marie eighteen), she decided that to spite her family

and uncle, she would find a way to make this young man fall in love with

her.

This was a seemingly impossible task for such a plain-looking girl, but

Marie studied the future king closely. She noticed that her sisters' frivolity

did not please him, and she sensed that he loathed the scheming and petty

politicking that went on all around him. She saw that he had a romantic na-

turehe read adventure novels, insisted on marching at the head of his

armies, and had high ideals and a passion for glory. The court did not feed

these fantasies of his; it was a banal, superficial world that bored him.

The key to Louis's heart, Marie saw, would be to construct a mirror

reflecting his fantasies and his youthful yearnings for glory and romance.

To begin with she immersed herself in the romantic novels, poems, and

plays that she knew the young king read voraciously. When Louis began to

engage her in conversation, to his delight she would talk of the things that

stirred his soulnot this fashion or that piece of gossip, but rather courtly

love, the deeds of great knights, the nobility of past kings and heroes. She

fed his thirst for glory by creating an image of an august, superior king

whom he could aspire to become. She stirred his imagination.

As the future Sun King spent more and more time in Marie's presence, it

eventually became clear that he had fallen in love with the least likely

young woman of the court. To the horror of her sisters and mother, he

showered Marie Mancini with attention. He brought her along on his

military campaigns, and made a show of stationing her where she could

watch as he marched into battle. He even promised Marie that he would

marry her and make her queen.

Mazarin, however, would never allow the king to marry his niece, a

woman who could bring France no diplomatic or royal alliances. Louis had

to marry a princess of Spain or Austria. In 1658 Louis succumbed to the

pressure and agreed to break off the first romantic involvement of his life.

He did so with much regret, and at the end of his life he acknowledged that

he never loved anyone as much as Marie Mancini.

Wittgenstein had an extraordinary gift for divining the thoughts of the

person with whom he was engaged in discussion. While the other struggled

to put his thought into words, Wittgenstein would perceive what it was and

state it for him. This power of his, which sometimes seemed uncanny, was

made possible, I am sure, by his own prolonged and continuous researches.

LUDWIO WITTGENSTEIN: A MEMOIR,

Norman Malcolm. 1958

The doctor should be opaque to his patients, and like a mirror, should

show them nothing but what is shown to him.

Sigmund Freud, 1856-1939

Interpretation

Marie Mancini played the seducer's game to perfection. First, she took a

step back, to study her prey. Seduction often fails to get past the first step

because it is too aggressive; the first move must always be a retreat. By

studying the king from a distance Marie saw what distinguished him from

otiiershis high ideals, romantic nature, and snobbish disdain for petty

politics. Marie's next step was to make a mirror for these hidden yearnings

on Louis's part, letting him glimpse what he himself could bea godlike

king!

This mirror had several functions: Satisfying Louis's ego by giving him

a double to look at, it also focused on him so exclusively as to give him the

feeling that Marie existed for him alone. Surrounded by a pack of scheming

courtiers who only had their own self-interest at heart, he could not fail to

be touched by this devotional focus. Finally Marie's mirror set up an ideal

for him to live up to: the noble knight of the medieval court. To a soul both

romantic and ambitious, nothing could be more intoxicating than to have

someone hold up an idealized reflection of him. In effect it was Marie

Mancini who created the image of die Sun Kingindeed Louis later admitted

the enormous part she had played in fashioning his radiant self-image.

This is the power of the Seducer's Mirror: By doubling the tastes and

ideals of the target, it shows your attention to his or her psychology, an

attention more charming than any aggressive pursuit. Find out what sets the

other person apart, then hold up the mirror that will reflect it and bring it

out of diem. Feed their fantasies of power and greatness by reflecting their

ideals, and they will succumb.

Observance IV

In 1538, with the death of his mother, Helena, the eight-year-old future

czar Ivan IV (or Ivan the Terrible) of Russia became an orphan. For the next

five years he watched as the princely class, the boyars, terrorized the

country. Now and then, to mock the young Ivan, they would make him wear

a crown and scepter and place him on the throne. When the little boy's feet

dangled over the edge of the chair, they would laugh and lift him off it,

handing him from man to man in the air, making him feel his helplessness

compared to them.

When Ivan was thirteen, he boldly murdered the boyar leader and

ascended to the dirone. For the next few decades he struggled to subdue the

boyars' power, but they continued to defy him. By 1575 his efforts to

transform Russia and defeat its enemies had exhausted him. Meanwhile, his

subjects were complaining bitterly about his endless wars, his secret police,

the unvanquished and oppressive boyars. His own ministers began to

question his moves. Finally he had had enough. In 1564 he had temporarily

abandoned the throne, forcing his subjects to call him back to power. Now

he took the strategy a step further, and abdicated.

To take his place Ivan elevated a general of his, Simeon Bekbulatovich,

to the throne. But although Simeon had recently converted to

Christianity, he was by birth a Tartar, and his enthronement was an insult to

Ivan's subjects, since Russians looked down on the Tartars as inferiors and

infidels. Yet Ivan ordered that all Russians, including the boyars, pledge

obedience to their new ruler. And while Simeon moved into the Kremlin,

Ivan lived in a humble house on Moscow's outskirts, from which he would

sometimes visit the palace, bow before the throne, sit among the other

boyars, and humbly petition Simeon for favors.

Over time it became clear that Simeon was a kind of king's double. He

dressed like Ivan, and acted like Ivan, but he had no real power, since no

one would really obey him. The boyars at the court who were old enough to

remember taunting Ivan when he was a boy, by placing him on the throne,

saw the connection: They had made Ivan feel like a weak pretender, so now

he mirrored them by placing a weak pretender of his own on the throne.

For two long years Ivan held the mirror of Simeon up to the Russian

people. The mirror said: Your whining and disobedience have made me a

czar widi no real power, so I will reflect back to you a czar with no real

power. You have treated me disrespectfully, so I will do the same to you,

making Russia the laughingstock of the world. In 1577, in the name of the

Russian people, the chastised boyars once again begged Ivan to return to the

throne, which he did. He lived as czar until his death, in 1584, and the

conspiracies, complaining, and second-guessing disappeared along with

Simeon. Interpretation

In 1564, after threatening to abdicate, Ivan had been granted absolute

powers. But these powers had slowly been chipped away as every sector of

societythe boyars, the church, the governmentvied for more control.

Foreign wars had exhausted the country, internal bickering had increased,

and Ivan's attempts to respond had been met widi scorn. Russia had turned

into a kind of boisterous classroom in which the pupils laughed openly at

the teacher. If he raised his voice or complained, he only met more

resistance. He had to teach them a lesson, give them a taste of meir own

medicine. Simeon Bekbulatovich was the mirror he used to do so.

After two years in which the throne had been an object of ridicule and

disgust, the Russian people learned their lesson. They wanted their czar

back, conceding to him all the dignity and respect that the position should

always have commanded. For the rest of his reign, Russia and Ivan got

along fine.

Understand: People are locked in their own experiences. When you

whine about some insensitivity on their part, they may seem to understand,

but inwardly they are untouched and even more resistant. The goal of power

is always to lower people's resistance to you. For mis you need tricks, and

one trick is to teach them a lesson.

Instead of haranguing people verbally, then, create a kind of mirror of

their behavior. In doing so you leave them two choices: They can ignore

you, or they can start to think about themselves. And even if tfiey ignore

you, you will have planted a seed in their unconscious that will eventually

take root. When you mirror their behavior, incidentally, do not be afraid to

add a touch of caricature and exaggeration, as Ivan did by entiironing a

Tartarit is the little spice in die soup mat will open dieir eyes and make

diem see the ridiculousness in dieir own actions.

Observance V

Dr. Milton H. Erickson, a pioneer in strategic psychodierapy, would

often educate his patients powerfully but indirectly by creating a kind of

mirror effect. Constructing an analogy to make patients see the trutii on

their own, he would bypass their resistance to change. When Dr. Erickson

treated married couples complaining of sexual problems, for instance, he

often found that psychotherapy's tradition of direct confrontation and

problem-airing only heightened the spouses' resistance and sharpened their

differences. Instead, he would draw a husband and wife out on other topics,

often banal ones, trying to find an analogy for die sexual conflict.

In one couple's first session, the pair were discussing their eating habits,

especially at dinner. The wife preferred die leisurely approacha drink before

the meal, some appetizers, and then a small main course, all at a slow,

civilized pace. This frustrated the husbandhe wanted to get dinner over

quickly and to dig right into the main course, the bigger the better. As the

conversation continued, the couple began to catch glimpses of an analogy to

their problems in bed. The moment they made tiiis connection, however, Dr.

Erickson would change the subject, carefully avoiding a discussion of the

real problem.

The couple diought Erickson was just getting to know them and would

deal widi the problem direcdy die next time he saw diem. But at die end of

diis first session, Dr. Erickson directed them to arrange a dinner a few

nights away tiiat would combine each person's desire: The wife would get

the slow meal, including time spent bonding, and the husband would get the

big dishes he wanted to eat. Widiout realizing they were acting under the

doctor's gende guidance, the couple would walk into a mirror of their

problem, and in the mirror they would solve their problems themselves,

ending die evening just as the doctor had hopedby mirroring the improved

dinner dynamics in bed.

In dealing with more severe problems, such as die schizophrenic's

mirror fantasy world of his or her own construction, Dr. Erickson would

always try to enter the mirror and work within it. He once treated a hospital

inmate who believed he was Jesus Christdraping sheets around his body,

talking in vague parables, and bombarding staff and patients widi endless

Christian proselytizing. No therapy or drugs seemed to work, until one day

Dr. Erickson went up to die young man and said, “I understand you have

had experience as a carpenter.” Being Christ, the patient had to say that he

had had such experience, and Erickson immediately put him to work

building bookcases and otiier useful items, allowing him to wear his Jesus

garb. Over the next weeks, as the patient worked on diese projects,

his mind became less occupied with Jesus fantasies and more focused

on his labor. As the carpentry work took precedence, a psychic shift took

effect: The religious fantasies remained, but faded comfortably into the

background, allowing the man to function in society. Interpretation

Communication depends on metaphors and symbols, which are the

basis of language itself. A metaphor is a kind of mirror to the concrete and

real, which it often expresses more clearly and deeply than a literal

description does. When you are dealing with the intractable willpower of

other people, direct communication often only heightens their resistance.

This happens most clearly when you complain about people's behavior,

particularly in sensitive areas such as their lovemaking. You will effect a far

more lasting change if, like Dr. Erickson, you construct an analogy, a

symbolic mirror of the situation, and guide the other through it. As Christ

himself understood, talking in parables is often the best way to teach a

lesson, for it allows people to realize the truth on tfieir own.

When dealing with people who are lost in the reflections of fantasy

worlds (including a host of people who do not live in mental hospitals),

never try to push them into reality by shattering their mirrors. Instead, enter

meir world and operate inside it, under their rules, gently guiding them out

of the hall of mirrors tiiey have entered.

Observance VI

The great sixteenth-century Japanese tea master Takeno Sho-o once

passed by a house and noticed a young man watering flowers near his front

gate. Two things caught Sho-o's attentionfirst, the graceful way the man

performed his task; and, second, the stunningly beautiful rose of Sharon

blossoms that bloomed in the garden. He stopped and introduced himself to

the man, whose name was Sen no Rikyu. Shoo wanted to stay, but he had a

prior engagement and had to hurry off. Before he left, however, Rikyu

invited him to take tea with him the following morning. Sho-o happily

accepted.

When Sho-o opened the garden gate the next day, he was horrified to

see that not a single flower remained. More than anything else, he had come

to see the rose of Sharon blossoms that he had not had the time to

appreciate the day before; now, disappointed, he started to leave, but at the

gate he stopped himself, and decided to enter Sen no Rikyu's tea room.

Immediately inside, he stopped in his tracks and gazed in astonishment:

Before him a vase hung from the ceiling, and in the vase stood a single rose

of Sharon blossom, the most beautiful in the garden. Somehow Sen no

Rikyu had read his guest's thoughts, and, with this one eloquent gesture,

had demonstrated that this day guest and host would be in perfect harmony.

Sen no Rikyu went on to become the most famous tea master of all, and

his trademark was this uncanny ability to harmonize himself with his guests'

tfioughts and to think one step ahead, enchanting them by adapting to their

taste.

One day Rikyu was invited to tea by Yamashina Hechigwan, an ad-

mirer of the tea ceremony but also a man with a vivid sense of humor.

When Rikyu arrived at Hechigwan's home, he found the garden gate shut,

so he opened it to look for the host. On the other side of the gate he saw that

someone had first dug a ditch, then carefully covered it over widi canvas

and earth. Realizing that Hechigwan had planned a practical joke, he

obligingly walked right into the ditch, muddying his clothes in the process.

Apparently horrified, Hechigwan came running out, and hurried Rikyu

to a bath mat for some inexplicable reason stood already prepared. After

bathing, Rikyu joined Hechigwan in the tea ceremony, which both enjoyed

immensely, sharing a laugh about the accident. Later Sen no Rikyu

explained to a friend that he had heard about Hechigwan's practical joke

beforehand, “But since it should always be one's aim to conform to the

wishes of one's host, I fell into the hole knowingly and thus assured the

success of the meeting. Tea is by no means mere obsequiousness, but there

is no tea where the host and guest are not in harmony with one another.”

Hechigwan's vision of the dignified Sen no Rikyu at the bottom of a ditch

had pleased him endlessly, but Rikyu had gained a pleasure of his own in

complying with his host's wish and watching him amuse himself in this

way. Interpretation

Sen no Rikyu was no magician or seerhe watched those around him

acutely, plumbing the subde gestures that revealed a hidden desire, then

producing that desire's image. Although Sho-o never spoke of being

enchanted by the rose of Sharon blossoms, Rikyu read it in his eyes. If

mirroring a person's desires meant falling into a ditch, so be it. Rikyu's

power resided in his skillful use of the Courtier's Mirror, which gave him

the appearance of an unusual ability to see into other people.

Learn to manipulate die Courtier's Mirror, for it will bring you great

power. Study people's eyes, follow their gesturessurer barometers of pain

and pleasure than any spoken word. Notice and remember the detailsthe

doming, the choice of friends, the daily habits, the tossed-out remarks that

reveal hidden and rarely indulged desires. Soak it all in, find out what lies

under the surface, then make yourself the mirror of their unspoken selves.

That is the key to this power: The other person has not asked for your

consideration, has not mentioned his pleasure in the rose of Sharon, and

when you reflect it back to him his pleasure is heightened because it is

unasked for. Remember: The wordless communication, the indirect

compliment, contains the most power. No one can resist the enchantment of

the Courtier's Mirror.

Observance VII

Yellow Kid Weil, con artist extraordinaire, used the Deceiver's Mirror in

his most brilliant cons. Most audacious of all was his re-creation of a bank

in Muncie, Indiana. When Weil read one day that the Merchants Bank in

Muncie had moved, he saw an opportunity he could not pass up.

Weil rented out the original Merchants building, which still contained

bank furniture, complete with teller windows. He bought money bags,

stenciled a bank's invented name on them, filled them with steel

washers, and arrayed them impressively behind the teller windows, along

with bundles of boodlereal bills hiding newspaper cut to size. For his bank's

staff and customers Weil hired gamblers, bookies, girls from local bawdy

houses, and other assorted confederates. He even had a local thug pose as a

bank dick.

Claiming to be the broker for a certificate investment the bank was

offering, Weil would fish the waters and hook the proper wealthy sucker.

He would bring this man to the bank and ask to see the president. An

“officer” of the bank would tell them that they had to wait, which only

heightened the realism of the conone always has to wait to see the bank

president. And as they waited the bank would bustle with banklike activity,

as call girls and bookies in disguise floated in and out, making deposits and

withdrawals and tipping their hats to the phony bank dick. Lulled by this

perfect copy of reality, the sucker would deposit $50,000 into the fake bank

without a worry in the world.

Over the years Weil did the same thing with a deserted yacht club, an

abandoned brokerage office, a relocated real estate office, and a completely

realistic gambling club. Interpretation

The mirroring of reality offers immense deceptive powers. The right

uniform, the perfect accent, the proper propsthe deception cannot be

deciphered because it is enmeshed in a simulation of reality. People have an

intense desire and need to believe, and their first instinct is to trust a well-

constructed facade, to mistake it for reality. After all, we cannot go around

doubting the reality of everything we seethat would be too exhausting. We

habitually accept appearances, and this is a credulity you can use.

In this particular game it is the first moment that counts the most. If

your suckers' suspicions are not raised by their first glance at the mirror's

reflection, they will stay suppressed. Once they enter your hall of mirrors,

they will be unable to distinguish the real from the fake, and it will become

easier and easier to deceive them. Remember: Study the world's surfaces

and learn to mirror them in your habits, your manner, your clothes. Like a

carnivorous plant, to unsuspecting insects you will look like all the other

plants in the field.

Authority: The task of a military operation is to accord deceptively with

the intentions of the enemy . . . get to what they want first, subtly anticipate

them. Maintain discipline and adapt to the enemy. .. . Thus, at first you are

like a maiden, so the enemy opens his door; then you are like a rabbit on the

loose, so the enemy cannot keep you out. (Sun-tzu, fourth century B.C.)

Image: The Shield of Perseus. It is polished into a reflecting mirror.

Medusa cannot see you, only her own hideousness reflected back at her.

Behind such a mirror you can deceive, mock, and infuriate. With one blow

you sever Medusa's unsuspecting head.

A WARNING: BEWARE OF MIRRORED SITUATIONS Mirrors

contain great power but also dangerous reefs, including the mirrored

situationa situation that seems to reflect or closely resemble a previous one,

mostly in style and surface appearance. You can often back into such a

situation without fully understanding it, while those around you understand

it quite well, and compare it and you to whatever happened before. Most

often you suffer by the comparison, seeming either weaker than the

previous occupant of your position or else tainted by any unpleasant

associations that person has left behind.

In 1864 the composer Richard Wagner moved to Munich at the behest

of Ludwig II, known variously as the Swan King or the Mad King of

Bavaria. Ludwig was Wagner's biggest fan and most generous patron. The

strength of his support turned Wagner's headonce established in Munich

under the king's protection, he would be able to say and do whatever he

wanted.

Wagner moved into a lavish house, which the king eventually bought

for him. This house was but a stone's throw from the former home of Lola

Montez, the notorious courtesan who had plunged Ludwig IPs grandfather

into a crisis that had forced him to abdicate. Warned that he could be

infected by this association, Wagner only scoffed“I am no Lola Montez,” he

said. Soon enough, however, the citizens of Munich began to resent the

favors and money showered on Wagner, and dubbed him “the second Lola,”

or “Lolotte.” He unconsciously began to tread in Lola's footsteps spending

money extravagantly, meddling in matters beyond music, even dabbling in

politics and advising the king on cabinet appointments. Meanwhile

Ludwig's affection for Wagner seemed intense and undignified for a king-

just like his grandfather's love for Lola Montez.

Eventually Ludwig's ministers wrote him a letter: “Your Majesty now

stands at a fateful parting of the ways: you have to choose between the love

and respect of your faithful people and the 'friendship' of Richard Wagner.”

In December of 1865, Ludwig politely asked his friend to leave and never

return. Wagner had inadvertently placed himself in Lola Montez's

reflection. Once there, everything he did reminded the stolid Bavarians of

that dread woman, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Avoid such association-effects like the plague. In a mirrored situation

you have little or no control over the reflections and recollections that will

be connected to you, and any situation beyond your control is dangerous.

Even if the person or event has positive associations, you will suffer from

not being able to live up to them, since the past generally appears greater

than the present. If you ever notice people associating you with some past

event or person, do everything you can to separate yourself from that

memory and to shatter the reflection.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 45

PREACH THE NEED

FOR CHANGE, BUT

NEVER REFORM

TOO MUCH AT ONCE

JUDGMENT

Everyone understands the need for change in the abstract, but on the

day-to-day level people are creatures of habit. Too much innovation is

traumatic, and will lead to revolt. If you are new to a position of power, or

an outsider trying to build a power base, make a show of respecting the old

way of doing things. If change is necessary, make it feel like a gentle

improvement on the past.

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

Sometime in die early 1520s, King Henry VIII of England decided to

divorce his wife, Catfierine of Aragon, because she had failed to bear him a

son, and because he had fallen in love with die young and comely Anne

Boleyn. The pope, Clement VII, opposed die divorce, and threatened die

king widi excommunication. The king's most powerful minister, Cardinal

Wolsey, also saw no need for divorceand his halfhearted support of die king

cost him his position and soon his life.

One man in Henry's cabinet, Thomas Cromwell, not only supported him

in his desire for a divorce but had an idea for realizing it: a complete break

widi die past. He convinced die king mat by severing ties widi Rome and

making himself the head of a newly formed English church, he could

divorce Cadierine and marry Anne. By 1531 Henry saw diis as die only

solution. To reward Cromwell for his simple but brilliant idea, he elevated

diis son of a blacksmitii to die post of royal councillor.

By 1534 Cromwell had been named die king's secretary, and as me

power behind die dirone he had become die most powerful man in England.

But for him die break widi Rome went beyond die satisfaction of die king's

carnal desires: He envisioned a new Protestant order in England, wim die

power of die Cadiolic Church smashed and its vast wealdi in the hands of

die king and die government. In diat same year he initiated a complete

survey of die churches and monasteries of England. And as it turned out,

die treasures and moneys diat die churches had accumulated over me

centuries were far more tiian he had imagined; his spies and agents came

back widi astonishing figures.

To justify his schemes, Cromwell circulated stories about die corruption

in die English monasteries, dieir abuse of power, their exploitation of die

people tiiey supposedly served. Having won Parhament's support for

breaking up die monasteries, he began to seize meir holdings and to put

diem out of existence one by one. At die same time, he began to impose

Protestantism, introducing reforms in religious ritual and punishing tiiose

who stuck to Cadiolicism, and who now were called heretics. Virtually

overnight, England was converted to a new official religion.

A terror fell on die country. Some people had suffered under die

Catiiolic Church, which before die reforms had been immensely powerful,

but most Britons had strong ties to Cadiolicism and to its comforting rituals.

They watched in horror as churches were demolished, images of die

Madonna and saints were broken in pieces, stained-glass windows were

smashed, and die churches' treasures were confiscated. Widi monasteries

diat had succored die poor suddenly gone, the poor now flooded die streets.

The growing ranks of die beggar class were further swelled by former

monks. On top of all diis, Cromwell levied high taxes to pay for his

ecclesiastical reforms.

In 1535 powerful revolts in die North of England tiireatened to topple

Henry from his throne. By die following year he had suppressed die

rebellions, but he had also begun to see die costs of Cromwell's reforms.

The king himself had never wanted to go diis farhe had only wanted a di-

WHKRK CHRISTMAS CAME FROM Celebrating the turn of the year

is an ancient custom. The Romans celebrated the Saturnalia, the festival of

Saturn, god of the harvest, between December 17 and 23. It was the most

cheerful festival of the year. All work and commerce stopped, and the

streets were filled with crowds and a carnival atmosphere. Slaves were

temporarily freed, and the houses were decorated with laurel branches.

People visited one another, bringing gifts of wax candles and little clay

figurines.

Long before the birth of Christ, the Jews celebrated an eight-day

Festival of Lights [at the same season], and it is believed that the Germanic

peoples held a great festival not only at midsummer but also at the winter

solstice, when they celebrated the rebirth of the sun and honored the great

fertility gods Wotan and Freyja, Donar (Thor) and Freyr. Even after the

Emperor Constantine (a.d. 306-337) declared Christianity to be Rome's

official imperial religion, the evocation of light and fertility as an important

component of pre-Christian midwinter celebrations could not be entirely

suppressed. In the year 274 the Roman Emperor Aure-lian (a.d. 214-275)

had established an official

cult of the sun-god Mithras, declaring his birthday, December 25, a

national holiday. The cult of Mithras, the Aryan god of light, had spread

from Persia through Asia Minor to Greece, Rome, and as far as the

Germanic lands and Britain. Numerous ruins of his shrines still testify to the

high regard in which this god was held, especially by the Roman legions, as

a bringer of fertility, peace, and victory. So it was a clever move when, in

the year a.d. 354, the Christian church under Pope Liberius (352-366) co-

opted the birthday of Mithras and declared December 25 to be the birthday

of Jesus Christ.

NEUEZURCHER ZEITUNG,

Anne-Susanne

RlSCHKE,

December 25, 1983

vorce. It was now Cromwell's turn to watch uneasily as die king began

slowly to undo his reforms, reinstating Catiiolic sacraments and odier

rituals that Cromwell had oudawed.

Sensing his fall from grace, in 1540 Cromwell decided to regain Henry's

favor with one throw of the dice: He would find the king a new wife.

Henry's third wife, Jane Seymour, had died a few years before, and he had

been pining for a new young queen. It was Cromwell who found him one:

Anne of Cleves, a German princess and, most important to Cromwell, a

Protestant. On Cromwell's commission, the painter Holbein produced a

flattering portrait of Anne; when Henry saw it, he fell in love, and agreed to

marry her. Cromwell seemed back in favor.

Unfortunately, however, Holbein's painting was highly idealized, and

when die king finally met die princess she did not please him in die least.

His anger against Cromwellfirst for the ill-conceived reforms, now for

saddling him widi an unattractive and Protestant wifecould no longer be

contained. In June of mat year, Cromwell was arrested, charged as a

Protestant extremist and a heretic, and sent to die Tower. Six weeks later,

before a large and enthusiastic crowd, the public executioner cut off his

head.

Interpretation

Thomas Cromwell had a simple idea: He would break up die power and

wealdi of the Church and lay die foundation for Protestantism in England.

And he would do tfiis in a mercilessly short time. He knew his speedy

reforms would cause pain and resentment, but he tiiought diese feelings

would fade in a few years. More important, by identifying himself with

change, he would become die leader of die new order, making die king

dependent on him. But mere was a problem in his strategy: Like a billiard

ball hit too hard against the cushion, his reforms had reactions and caroms

he did not envision and could not control.

The man who initiates strong reforms often becomes the scapegoat for

any kind of dissatisfaction. And eventually me reaction to his reforms may

consume him, for change is upsetting to the human animal, even when it is

for die good. Because die world is and always has been full of insecurity

and mreat, we latch on to familiar faces and create habits and rituals to

make the world more comfortable. Change can be pleasant and even

sometimes desirable in the abstract, but too much of it creates an anxiety

that will stir and boil beneatii die surface and dien eventually erupt.

Never underestimate die hidden conservatism of those around you. It is

powerful and entrenched. Never let die seductive charm of an idea cloud

your reason: Just as you cannot make people see the world your way, you

cannot wrench diem into die future with painful changes. They will rebel. If

reform is necessary, anticipate die reaction against it and find ways to

disguise the change and sweeten die poison.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

As a young Communist in the 1920s, Mao Tse-tung understood better

dian

any of his colleagues die incredible odds against a Communist victory

China. With their small numbers, limited funds, lack of military

experience, and small arsenal of weapons, the Party had no hope of success

unless it won over China's immense peasant population. But who in the

world was more conservative, more rooted in tradition, than the Chinese

peasantry The oldest civilization on the planet had a history that would

never loosen its power, no matter how violent the revolution. The ideas of

Confucius remained as alive in the 1920s as they had been in the sixdi

century B.C., when the philosopher was alive. Despite the oppressions of

the current system, would the peasantry ever give up the deep-rooted values

of die past for the great unknown of Communism

The solution, as Mao saw it, involved a simple deception: Cloak the

revolution in the clothing of the past, making it comforting and legitimate in

people's eyes. One of Mao's favorite books was the very popular medieval

Chinese novel The Water Margin, which recounts the exploits of a Chinese

Robin Hood and his robber band as they struggle against a corrupt and evil

monarch. In China in Mao's time, family ties dominated over any other

kind, for the Confucian hierarchy of father and oldest son remained firmly

in place; but The Water Margin preached a superior value die fraternal ties

of the band of robbers, the nobility of the cause that unites people beyond

blood. The novel had great emotional resonance for Chinese people, who

love to root for the underdog. Time and again, then, Mao would present his

revolutionary army as an extension of the robber band in The Water Margin,

likening his struggle to the timeless conflict between the oppressed

peasantry and an evil emperor. He made the past seem to envelop and

legitimize the Communist cause; the peasantry could feel comfortable witii

and even support a group with such roots in the past.

Even once the Party came to power, Mao continued to associate it with

the past. He presented himself to the masses not as a Chinese Lenin but as a

modern Chuko Liang, the real-life third-century strategist who figures

prominently in the popular historical novel The Romance of the Three

Kingdoms. Liang was more man a great generalhe was a poet, a

philosopher, and a figure of stern moral rectitude. So Mao represented

himself as a poet-warrior like Liang, a man who mixed strategy with

philosophy and preached a new ethics. He made himself appear like a hero

from the great Chinese tradition of warrior statesmen.

Soon, everything in Mao's speeches and writings had a reference to an

earlier period in Chinese history. He recalled, for example, the great

Emperor Ch'in, who had unified the country in the third century B.C. Ch'in

had burned the works of Confucius, consolidated and completed the

building of the Great Wall, and given his name to China. Like Ch'in, Mao

also had brought the country together, and had sought bold reforms against

an oppressive past. Ch'in had traditionally been seen as a violent dictator

whose reign was short; the brilliance of Mao's strategy was to turn this

around, simultaneously reinterpreting Ch'in, justifying his rule in die eyes

of present-day Chinese, and using him to justify the violence of the new

order that Mao himself was creating.

After the failed Cultural Revolution of the late 1960s, a power struggle

emerged in die Communist Party in which Mao's main foe was Lin Rao,

once a close friend of his. To make clear to die masses die difference

between his philosophy and Lin's, Mao once again exploited die past: He

cast his opponent as representing Confucius, a philosopher Lin in fact

would constantiy quote. And Confucius signified die conservatism of die

past. Mao associated himself, on die odier hand, widi die ancient

philosophical movement known as Legalism, exemplified by die writings of

Han-fei-tzu. The Legalists disdained Confucian ediics; tiiey believed in die

need for violence to create a new order. They worshiped power. To give

himself weight in die struggle, Mao unleashed a nationwide propaganda

campaign against Confucius, using die issues of Confucianism versus

Legalism to whip die young into a kind of frenzied revolt against die older

generation. This grand context enveloped a ratiier banal power struggle, and

Mao once again won over die masses and triumphed over his enemies.

Interpretation

No people had a more profound attachment to die past tiian die Chinese.

In die face of tiiis enormous obstacle to reform, Mao's strategy was simple:

Instead of struggling against die past, he turned it to his advantage,

associating his radical Communists witii die romantic figures of Chinese

history. Weaving the story of die War of die Three Kingdoms into die

struggle between die United States, die Soviet Union, and China, he cast

himself as Chuko Liang. As die emperors had, he welcomed die cultiike

adoration of the masses, understanding tiiat die Chinese could not function

witiiout some kind of father figure to admire. And after he made a terrible

blunder widi die Great Leap Forward, trying to force modernization on die

country and failing miserably, he never repeated his mistake: From men on,

radical change had to be cloaked in die comfortable clotiies of die past.

The lesson is simple: The past is powerful. What has happened before

seems greater; habit and history give any act weight. Use tiiis to your

advantage. When you destroy die familiar you create a void or vacuum;

people fear die chaos tiiat will flood in to fill it. You must avoid stirring up

such fears at all cost. Borrow the weight and legitimacy from die past,

however remote, to create a comforting and familiar presence. This will

give your actions romantic associations, add to your presence, and cloak die

nature of die changes you are attempting.

It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out,

nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle,

than to initiate a new order of things.

Niccolb Machiavelli, 1469-1527

KEYS TO POWER

Human psychology contains many dualities, one of diem being tiiat

even while people understand die need for change, knowing how important

it is for institutions and individuals to be occasionally renewed, tiiey are

also ir-

ritated and upset by changes that affect diem personally. They know diat

change is necessary, and that novelty provides relief from boredom, but

deep inside they cling to the past. Change in die abstract, or superficial

change, tiiey desire, but a change that upsets core habits and routines is

deeply disturbing to diem.

No revolution has gone widiout a powerful later reaction against it, for

in the long run die void it creates proves too unsettling to die human animal,

who unconsciously associates such voids witii deatii and chaos. The

opportunity for change and renewal seduces people to the side of die

revolution, but once dieir enthusiasm fades, which it will, tiiey are left witii

a certain emptiness. Yearning for die past, diey create an opening for it to

creep back in.

For Machiavelli, die prophet who preaches and brings change can only

survive by taking up arms: When die masses inevitably yearn for the past,

he must be ready to use force. But me armed prophet cannot last long unless

he quickly creates a new set of values and rituals to replace die old ones,

and to soodie die anxieties of diose who dread change. It is far easier, and

less bloody, to play a kind of con game. Preach change as much as you like,

and even enact your reforms, but give diem die comforting appearance of

older events and traditions.

Reigning from A.D. 8 to A.D. 23, die Chinese emperor Wang Mang

emerged from a period of great historical turbulence in which die people

yearned for order, an order represented for diem by Confucius. Some two

hundred years earlier, however, Emperor Ch'in had ordered die writings of

Confucius burned. A few years later, word had spread diat certain texts had

miraculously survived, hidden under die scholar's house. These texts may

not have been genuine, but they gave Wang his opportunity: He first

confiscated diem, dien had his scribes insert passages into them diat seemed

to support me changes he had been imposing on die country. When he

released the texts, it seemed diat Confucius sanctioned Wang's reforms, and

die people felt comforted and accepted diem more easily.

Understand: The fact diat die past is dead and buried gives you die

freedom to reinterpret it. To support your cause, tinker with die facts. The

past is a text in which you can safely insert your own lines.

A simple gesture like using an old title, or keeping die same number for

a group, will tie you to die past and support you with die autiiority of

history. As Machiavelli himself observed, die Romans used tiiis device

when tiiey transformed dieir monarchy into a republic. They may have

installed two consuls in place of die king, but since die king had been

served by twelve lictors, they retained die same number to serve under the

consuls. The king had personally performed an annual sacrifice, in a great

spectacle that stirred die public; die republic retained diis practice, only

transferring it to a special “chief of die ceremony, whom tiiey called die

King of die sacrifice.” These and similar gestures satisfied die people and

kept diem from clamoring for the monarchy's return.

Anodier strategy to disguise change is to make a loud and public display

of support for the values of die past. Seem to be a zealot for tradition

and few will notice how unconventional you really are. Renaissance

Florence had a centuries-old republic, and was suspicious of anyone who

flouted its traditions. Cosimo de' Medici made a show of enthusiastic

support for the republic, while in reality he worked to bring the city under

the control of his wealthy family. In form, die Medicis retained the

appearance of a republic; in substance, they rendered it powerless. They

quietly enacted a radical change, while appearing to safeguard tradition.

Science claims a search for truth that would seem to protect it from

conservatism and the irrationality of habit: It is a culture of innovation. Yet

when Charles Darwin published his ideas of evolution, he faced fiercer

opposition from his fellow scientists than from religious authorities. His

theories challenged too many fixed ideas. Jonas Salk ran into the same wall

with his radical innovations in immunology, as did Max Planck with his

revolutionizing of physics. Planck later wrote of the scientific opposition he

faced, “A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents

and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually

die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar witii it.”

The answer to this innate conservatism is to play die courtier's game.

Galileo did this at the beginning of his scientific career; he later became

more confrontational, and paid for it. So pay lip service to tradition. Identify

the elements in your revolution that can be made to seem to build on the

past. Say the right things, make a show of conformity, and meanwhile let

your theories do their radical work. Play with appearances and respect past

protocol. This is true in every arenascience being no exception.

Finally, powerful people pay attention to the Zeitgeist. If tiieir reform is

too far ahead of its time, few will understand it, and it will stir up anxiety

and be hopelessly misinterpreted. The changes you make must seem less

innovative than they are. England did eventually become a Protestant

nation, as Cromwell wished, but it took over a century of gradual evolution.

Watch the Zeitgeist. If you work in a tumultuous time, there is power to

be gained by preaching a return to the past, to comfort, tradition, and ritual.

During a period of stagnation, on the other hand, play the card of reform

and revolutionbut beware of what you stir up. Those who finish a revolution

are rarely those who start it. You will not succeed at this dangerous game

unless you are willing to forestall die inevitable reaction against it by

playing with appearances and building on die past.

Authority: He who desires or attempts to reform the government of a

state, and wishes to have it accepted, must at least retain the semblance of

the old forms; so that it may seem to the people that there has been no

change in the institutions, even though in fact they are entirely different

from the old ones. For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with

appearances, as though they were realities. (Niccolo Machiavelli, 1469-

1527)

Image: The Cat.

Creature of habit, it loves the

warmth of the familiar. Upset its

routines, disrupt its space, and it will

grow unmanageable and psychotic.

Placate it by supporting its rituals. If

change is necessary, deceive the cat by

keeping the smell of the past alive;

place objects familiar to it in

strategic locations.

REVERSAL

The past is a corpse to be used as you see fit. If what happened in the

recent past was painful and harsh, it is self-destructive to associate yourself

with it. When Napoleon came to power, the French Revolution was fresh in

everyone's minds. If the court that he established had borne any

resemblance to the lavish court of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, his

courtiers would have spent all their time worrying about their own necks.

Instead, Napoleon established a court remarkable for its sobriety and lack of

ostentation. It was the court of a man who valued work and military virtues.

This new form seemed appropriate and reassuring.

In other words, pay attention to the times. But understand: If you make

a bold change from the past, you must avoid at all costs the appearance of a

void or vacuum, or you will create terror. Even an ugly recent history will

seem preferable to an empty space. Fill diat space immediately with new

rituals and forms. Soothing and growing familiar, these will secure your

position among the masses.

Finally, the arts, fashion, and technology would seem to be areas in

which power would come from creating a radical rupture with the past and

appearing cutting edge. Indeed, such a strategy can bring great power, but it

has many dangers. It is inevitable that your innovations will be outdone by

someone else. You have little controlsomeone younger and fresher moves in

a sudden new direction, making your bold innovation of yesterday seem

tiresome and tame today. You are forever playing catch-up; your power is

tenuous and short-lived. You want a power built on something more solid.

Using the past, tinkering with tradition, playing with convention to subvert

it will give your creations something more than a momentary appeal.

Periods of dizzying change disguise the fact that a yearning for the past will

inevitably creep back in. In the end, using the past for your own purposes

will bring you more power than trying to cut it out completelya futile and

self-destructive endeavor.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 46

NEVER APPEAR TOO PERFECT

JUDGMENT

Appearing better than others is always dangerous, but most dangerous

of all is to appear to have no faults or weaknesses. Envy creates silent

enemies. It is smart to occasionally display defects, and admit to harmless

vices, in order to deflect envy and appear more human and approachable.

Only gods and the dead can seem perfect with impunity.

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

Joe Orton met Kenneth HaJliwell at the Royal Academy of Dramatic

Arts, London, in 1953, where bodi had enrolled as acting students. They

soon became lovers and moved in together. Halliwell, twenty-five at the

time, was seven years older than Orton, and seemed the more confident of

the two; but neither had much talent as actors, and after graduating, having

settled down together in a dank London apartment, they decided to give up

acting and collaborate as writers instead. Halliwell's inheritance was enough

to keep them from having to find work for a few years, and in the

beginning, he was also the driving force behind the stories and novels they

wrote; he would dictate to Orton, who would type the manuscripts,

occasionally interjecting his own lines and ideas. Their first efforts attracted

some interest from literary agents, but it sputtered. The promise they had

shown was leading nowhere.

Eventually the inheritance money ran out, and the pair had to look for

work. Their collaborations were less enthusiastic and less frequent. The

future looked bleak.

In 1957 Orton began to write on his own, but it wasn't until five years

later, when the lovers were jailed for six montfis for defacing dozens of

library books, that he began to find his voice (perhaps not by chance: This

was the first time he and HaJliwell had been separated in nine years). He

came out of prison determined to express his contempt for English society

in uie form of theatrical farces. He and Halliwell moved back in together,

but now the roles were reversed: Orton did the writing while Halliwell put

in comments and ideas.

In 1964 Joe Orton completed his first full-length play, Entertaining Mr.

Sloane. The play made it to London's West End, where it received brilliant

reviews: A great new writer had emerged from nowhere. Now success

followed s access, at a dizzying pace. In 1966 Orton had a hit with his play

Loot, and his popularity soared. Soon commissions came in from all sides,

including from the Beatles, who paid Orton handsomely to write them a

film script.

Everything was pointing upwards, everything except Orton's

relationship with Kenneth Halliwell. The pair still lived togedier, but as

Orton grew successful, HaJliwell began to deteriorate. Watching his lover

become the center of attention, he suffered die humiliation of becoming a

kind of personal assistant to the playwright, his role in what had once been

a collaboration growing smaller and smaller. In the 1950s he had supported

Orton with his inheritance; now Orton supported him. At a party or among

friends, people would naturally gravitate towards Ortonhe was charming,

and his mood was almost always buoyant. Unlike the handsome Orton,

Halliwell was bald and awkward; his defensiveness made people want to

avoid him.

With Orton's success the couple's problems only worsened. Halliwell's

moods made their life together impossible. Orton claimed to want to leave

him, and had numerous affairs, but would always end up returning to his

A greedy man and an envious man met a king. The king said to them,

“One of you may ask something of me and 1 will give it to him, provided I

give twice as much to the other.” The envious person did not want to ask

first for he was envious of his companion who would receive twice as

much, and the greedy man did not want to ask first since he wanted

everything that was to be had. Finally the greedy one pressed the envious

one to be the first to make the request. So the envious person asked the king

to pluck out one of his eyes.

Jewish parable, the seven deadly sins, Solomon Schimmel, 1992

An admirer who feels that he cannot be happy by surrendering himself

elects to become envious of that which he admires. So he speaks another

languagethe thing which he really admires is called a stupid, insipid and

queer sort of thing. Admiration is happy self-surrender; envy is unhappy

self-assertion.

SqIren Kierkegaard, 1813-1855

It takes great talent and

skill to conceal one's

talent and skill.

La Rochefoucauld, 1613-1680

KNVYTOUMKNTS ACI.Al'HOS

The goddess Minerva made her way to the house of Envy, a house filthy

with dark and noisome slime. It is hidden away in the depths of the valleys,

where the sun never penetrates, where no wind blows through; a gloomy

dwelling, permeated by numbing chill, ever fireless, ever shrouded in thick

darkness. When Minerva reached this spot she stopped in front of the house

... and struck the doors with the tip of her spear, and at the blow they flew

open and revealed Envy within, busy at a meal of snake's flesh, the food on

which she nourished her wickedness. At the sight, Minerva turned her eyes

away. But the other rose heavily from the ground, leaving the half-eaten

corpses, and came out with dragging steps. When she saw the goddess in all

the brilliance of her beauty, in her flashing armor, she groaned.... Envy's

face was sickly pale, her whole body lean and wasted, and

old friend and lover. He tried to help Halliwell launch a career as an

artist, even arranging for a gallery to show his work, but the show was a

flop, and this only heightened HalliwelPs sense of inferiority. In May of

1967, the pair went on a brief holiday together in Tangier, Morocco. During

the trip, Orton wrote in his diary, “We sat talking of how happy we felt. And

how it couldn't, surely, last. We'd have to pay for it. Or we'd be struck down

from afar by disaster because we were, perhaps, too happy. To be young,

good-looking, healthy, famous, comparatively rich and happy is surely

going against nature.”

Halliwell outwardly seemed as happy as Orton. Inwardly, though, he

was seething. And two months later, in the early morning of August 10,

1967, just days after helping Orton put the finishing touches to the wicked

fa' ce What the Butler Saw (undoubtedly his masterpiece), Kenneth

Halliwell bludgeoned Joe Orton to death with repeated blows of a hammer

to the head. He then took twenty-one sleeping pills and died himself,

leaving behind a note that read, “If you read Orton's diary all will be

explained.”

Interpretation

Kenneth Halliwell had tried to cast his deterioration as mental illness,

but what Joe Orton's diaries revealed to him was the truth: It was envy, pure

and simple, that lay at the heart of his sickness. The diaries, which Halliwell

read on the sly, recounted the couple's days as equals and their struggle for

recognition. After Orton found success, the diaries began to describe

HalliwelPs brooding, his rude comments at parties, his growing sense of

inferiority. All of this Orton narrated with a distance that bordered on

contempt.

The diaries made clear Halliwell's bitterness over Orton's success.

Eventually the only thing that would have satisfied him would have been

for Orton to have a failure of his own, an unsuccessful play perhaps, so that

they could have commiserated in their failure, as they had done years

before. When the opposite happenedas Orton grew only more successful

and popularHalliwell did the only thing that would make them equals again:

He made them equals in death. With Orton's murder, he became almost as

famous as his friendposthumously.

Joe Orton only partly understood his lover's deterioration. His attempt

to help Halliwell launch a career in art registered for what it was: charity

and guilt. Orton basically had two possible solutions to the problem. He

could have downplayed his own success, displaying some faults, deflecting

Halliwell's envy; or, once he realized the nature of the problem, he could

have fled as if Halliwell were a viper, as in fact he wasa viper of envy. Once

envy eats away at someone, everything you do only makes it grow, and day

by day it festers inside him. Eventually he will attack.

Only a minority can succeed at the game of life, and that minority

inevitably arouses the envy of those around them. Once success happens

your way, however, the people to fear the most are those in your own circle,

the friends and acquaintances you have left behind. Feelings of inferi-

ority gnaw at them; the thought of your success only heightens their

feelings of stagnation. Envy, which the philosopher Kierkegaard calls

“unhappy admiration,” takes hold. You may not see it but you will feel it

somedayunless, that is, you learn strategies of deflection, little sacrifices to

the gods of success. Either dampen your brilliance occasionally,

purposefully revealing a defect, weakness, or anxiety, or attributing your

success to luck; or simply find yourself new friends. Never underestimate

the power of envy.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

The merchant class and the craft guilds to which medieval Florence

owed its prosperity had created a republic that protected them from

oppression by the nobility. Since high office could only be held for a few

months, no one could gain lasting dominance, and although this meant that

the political factions struggled constantly for control, the system kept out

tyrants and petty dictators. The Medici family lived for several centuries

under this system without making much of a mark. They had modest origins

as apothecaries, and were typical middle-class citizens. Not until the late

fourteenth century, when Giovanni de' Medici made a modest fortune in

banking, did they emerge as a force to be reckoned with.

Upon Giovanni's death, his son Cosimo took over the family business,

and quickly demonstrated his talent for it. The business prospered under his

control and the Medicis emerged as one of the preeminent banking families

of Europe. But they had a rival in Florence: Despite the city's republican

system, one family, the Albizzis, had managed over the years to monopolize

control of the government, forging alliances that allowed them to constantiy

fill important offices with their own men. Cosimo did not fight this, and in

fact gave the Albizzis his tacit support. At the same time, while the Albizzis

were beginning to flaunt their power, Cosimo made a point of staying in the

background.

Eventually, however, the Medici wealth could not be ignored, and in

1433, feeling threatened by the family, the Albizzis used their government

muscle to have Cosimo arrested on charges of conspiring to overthrow the

republic. Some in the Albizzi faction wanted Cosimo executed, others

feared this would spark a civil war. In the end they exiled him from

Florence. Cosimo did not fight the sentence; he left quietly. Sometimes, he

knew, it is wiser to bide one's time and keep a low profile.

Over the next year, the Albizzis began to stir up fears that they were

setting up a dictatorship. Meanwhile, Cosimo, using his wealth to

advantage, continued to exert influence on Florentine affairs, even from

exile. A civil war broke out in the city, and in September of 1434 the

Albizzis were toppled from power and sent into exile. Cosimo immediately

returned to Florence, his position restored. But he saw that he now faced a

delicate situation: If he seemed ambitious, as the Albizzis had, he would stir

up opposition and envy that would ultimately threaten his business. If he

stayed on

she squinted horribly; her teeth were discolored and decayed, her

poisonous breast of a greenish hue, and her tongue dripped venom. Only the

sight of suffering could bring a smile to her lips. She never knew the

comfort of sleep, but was kept constantly awake by care and anxiety, looked

with dismay on men's good fortune, and grew thin at the sight. Gnawing at

others, and being gnawed, she was herself her own torment. Minerva, in

spite of her loathing, yet addressed her briefly: “Instill your poison into one

of Cecrop 's daughters her name is Aglauros. This is what I require of you.”

Without another word she pushed against the ground with her spear, left the

earth, and soared upwards. From the corner of her eye the other watched the

goddess out of sight, muttering and angry that Minerva \s plan should be

successful. Then she took her staff, all encircled with thorny briars,

wrapped herself in dark clouds, and set forth. Wherever she went she

trampled down the flowery fields, withered up the grass, seared the

treeto'ps, and with her breath tainted the peoples, their cities and their

homes, until at length she came to Athens, the home of wit and wealth,

peaceful and prosperous. She could scarcely refrain from weeping when she

saw no cause for tears.

Then entering the chamber of Cecrop 's daughter, she carried out

Minerva's orders. She touched the girl's breast with a hand dipped in malice,

filled her heart with spiky thorns, and breathing in a black and evil poison

dispersed it through her very bones, instilling the venom deep in her heart.

That the reason for her distress might not be far to seek, she set before

Aglauros' eyes a vision of her sister, of that sister's fortunate marriage [with

the god Mercury I, and of the god in all his handsomeness; and she

exaggerated the glory of it all. So Aglauros was tormented by such

thoughts, and the jealous anger she concealed ate into her heart. Day and

night she sighed, unceasingly wretched, and in her utter misery wasted

away in a slow decline, as when ice is melted by the fitful sun. The fire that

was kindled within her at the thought of her sister's luck and good fortune

was like the burning of weeds which do not burst into flames, but are none

the less consumed by smoldering fire.

metamorphosrs, Ovid, 43 b.c.-c. a.d. 18

the sidelines, on die other hand, he would leave an opening for another

faction to rise up as die Albizzis had, and to punish the Medicis for their

success.

Cosimo solved me problem in two ways: He secretiy used his wealth to

buy influence among key citizens, and he placed his own allies, all cleverly

enlisted from the middle classes to disguise their allegiance to him, in top

government positions. Those who complained of his growing political clout

were taxed into submission, or dieir properties were bought out from under

them by Cosimo's banker allies. The republic survived in name only.

Cosimo held the strings.

While he worked behind the scenes to gain control, however, publicly

Cosimo presented anomer picture. When he walked through the streets of

Florence, he dressed modestly, was attended by no more dian one servant,

and bowed deferentially to magistrates and elder citizens. He rode a mule

instead of a horse. He never spoke out on matters of public import, even

though he controlled Florence's foreign affairs for over thirty years. He

gave money to charities and maintained his ties to Florence's merchant

class. He financed all kinds of public buildings that fed die Florentines'

pride in dieir city. When he built a palace for himself and his family in

nearby Fiesole, he turned down the ornate designs that Brunelleschi had

drawn up for him and instead chose a modest structure designed by

Michelozzo, a man of humble Florentine origins. The palace was a symbol

of Cosimo's strategyall simplicity on the outside, all elegance and opulence

within.

Cosimo finally died in 1464, after ruling for thirty years. The citizens of

Florence wanted to build him a great tomb, and to celebrate his memory

with elaborate funeral ceremonies, but on his deathbed he had asked to be

buried without “any pomp or demonstration.” Some sixty years later,

Machiavelli hailed Cosimo as the wisest of all princes, “for he knew how

extraordinary things that are seen and appear every hour make men much

more envied than those that are done in deed and are covered over with

decency.”

Interpretation

A close friend of Cosimo's, the bookseller Vespasiano da Bisticci, once

wrote of him, “And whenever he wished to achieve something, he saw to it,

in order to escape envy as much as possible, that the initiative appeared to

come from others, and not from him.” One of Cosimo's favorite expressions

was, “Envy is a weed that should not be watered.” Understanding the power

envy has in a democratic environment, Cosimo avoided die appearance of

greatness. This does not mean tiiat greatness should be suffocated, or that

only the mediocre should survive; only tiiat a game of appearances must be

played. The insidious envy of the masses can actually be deflected quite

easily: Appear as one of them in style and values. Make alliances with those

below you, and elevate them to positions of power to secure their support in

times of need. Never flaunt your wealth, and carefully conceal

the degree to which it has bought influence. Make a display of deferring

to others, as if they were more powerful than you. Cosimo de' Medici

perfected this game; he was a consummate con artist of appearances. No

one could gauge the extent of his powerhis modest exterior hid the truth.

Never be so foolish as to believe that you are stirring up admiration by

flaunting the qualities that raise you above others. By making others aware

of their inferior position, you are only stirring up “unhappy admiration,” or

envy, which will gnaw away at them until they undermine you in ways you

cannot foresee. The fool dares the gods of envy by flaunting his victories.

The master of power understands that die appearance of superiority over

others is inconsequential next to the reality of it.

Of all the disorders of the soul, envy is the only one no one confesses to.

Plutarch, c. A.D. 46-120

KEYS TO POWER

The human animal has a hard time dealing with feelings of inferiority.

In the face of superior skill, talent, or power, we are often disturbed and ill

at ease; this is because most of us have an inflated sense of ourselves, and

when we meet people who surpass us they make it clear to us mat we are in

fact mediocre, or at least not as brilliant as we had thought. This disturbance

in our self-image cannot last long wimout stirring up ugly emotions. At first

we feel envy: If only we had die quality or skill of the superior person, we

would be happy. But envy brings us neither comfort nor any closer to

equality. Nor can we admit to feeling it, for it is frowned upon socially to

show envy is to admit to feeling inferior. To close friends, we may confess

our secret unrealized desires, but we will never confess to feeling envy. So

it goes underground. We disguise it in many ways, like finding grounds to

criticize the person who makes us feel it: He may be smarter tiian I am, we

say, but he has no morals or conscience. Or he may have more power, but

that's because he cheats. If we do not slander him, perhaps we praise him

excessivelyanother of envy's disguises.

There are several strategies for dealing widi the insidious, destructive

emotion of envy. First, accept the fact diat there will be people who will

surpass you in some way, and also tile fact that you may envy them. But

make that feeling a way of pushing yourself to equal or surpass them

someday. Let envy turn inward and it poisons the soul; expel it outward and

it can move you to greater heights.

Second, understand that as you gain power, those below you will feel

envious of you. They may not show it but it is inevitable. Do not naively

accept the facade they show youread between the lines of their criticisms,

their little sarcastic remarks, the signs of backstabbing, the excessive praise

that is preparing you for a fall, the resentful look in the eye. Half the

problem with envy comes when we do not recognize it until it is too late.

Finally, expect tiiat when people envy you they will work against you

The envious hides as carefully as the secret, lustful sinner and becomes

the endless inventor of tricks and stratagems to hide and mask himself Thus

he is able to pretend to ignore the superiority of others which eats up his

heart, as if he did not see them, nor hear them, nor were aware of them, nor

had ever heard of them. lie is a master simulator. On the other hand he tries

with all his power to connive and thus prevent any form of superiority from

appearing in any situation. And if they do, he casts on them obscurity,

hypercriticism, sarcasm and calumny like the toad that spits poison from its

hole. On the other hand he will raise endlessly insignificant men, mediocre

people, and even the inferior in the same type of activities.

Arthur

Schopenhauer,

1788-1860

For not many men, the proverb says, can love a friend who fortune

prospers without feeling envy; and about the envious brain, cold poison

clings and doubles all the pain life brings him. His own woundings he must

nurse, and feels another's gladness like a curse.

Aeschylus, c. 525-456 B.C.

JOSKI'II AM) IIIS C.O.VI'

Now Israel loved

Joseph more than all

his children, because he

was the son of his old

age; and he made him a

coat of many colors....

And his brothers

envied him.... And

when they saw him afar

off they conspired

against him to slay

him. And now they said

to one another,

"Behold, this dreamer

cometh. Come now

therefore, and let us

slay him, and cast him

into some pit, and we

shall say, some evil

beast hath devoured

him; and we shall see

what will become of his

dreams. "

old testament, genesis 37:3-20

[When Pope Julius first saw Michelangelo's

design for his tomb] it

pleased him so much

that he at once sent him

to Carrara to quarry

the necessary marbles,

instructing Alamanno

Salviati, of Florence, to

pay him a thousand

ducats for this purpose.

Michelangelo stayed in

these mountains more than eight months with

two workmen and his horse, and without any

other provision except food.... Enough

marbles quarried and chosen, he took them to

the sea-coast, and left

insidiously. They will put obstacles in your path that you will not

foresee, or that you cannot trace to their source. It is hard to defend yourself

against this kind of attack. And by the time you realize that envy is at the

root of a person's feelings about you, it is often too late: Your excuses, your

false humility, your defensive actions, only exacerbate the problem. Since it

is far easier to avoid creating envy in the first place than to get rid of it once

it is there, you should strategize to forestall it before it grows. It is often

your own actions that stir up envy, your own unawareness. By becoming

conscious of those actions and qualities that create envy, you can take the

teeth out of it before it nibbles you to death.

Kierkegaard believed that there are types of people who create envy,

and are as guilty when it arises as those who feel it. The most obvious type

we all know: The moment something good happens to them, whetiier by

luck or design, they crow about it. In fact they get pleasure out of making

people feel inferior. This type is obvious and beyond hope. There are others,

however, who stir up envy in more subtle and unconscious ways, and are

partly to blame for their troubles. Envy is often a problem, for example, for

people with great natural talent.

Sir Walter Raleigh was one of the most brilliant men at the court of

Queen Elizabeth of England. He had skills as a scientist, wrote poetry still

recognized as among the most beautiful writing of the time, was a proven

leader of men, an enterprising entrepreneur, a great sea captain, and on top

of all this was a handsome, dashing courtier who charmed his way into

becoming one of the queen's favorites. Wherever he went, however, people

blocked his path. Eventually he suffered a terrific fall from grace, leading

even to prison and finally the executioner's axe.

Raleigh could not understand the stubborn opposition he faced from the

other courtiers. He did not see that he had not only made no attempt to

disguise the degree of his skills and qualities, he had imposed them on one

and all, making a show of his versatility, thinking it impressed people and

won him friends. In fact it made him silent enemies, people who felt

inferior to him and did all they could to ruin him the moment he tripped up

or made the slightest mistake. In the end, the reason he was executed was

treason, but envy will use any cover it finds to mask its destructiveness.

The envy elicited by Sir Walter Raleigh is the worst kind: It was

inspired by his natural talent and grace, which he felt was best displayed in

its full flower. Money others can attain; power as well. But superior

intelligence, good looks, charmthese are qualities no one can acquire. The

naturally perfect have to work the most to disguise their brilliance,

displaying a defect or two to deflect envy before it takes root. It is a

common and naive mistake to think you are charming people with your

natural talents when in fact they are coming to hate you.

A great danger in the realm of power is the sudden improvement in

fortunean unexpected promotion, a victory or success mat seems to come

out of nowhere. This is sure to stir up envy among your former peers.

When Archbishop de Retz was promoted to the rank of cardinal, in

1651, he knew full well that many of his former colleagues envied him.

Understanding die foolishness of alienating those below him, de Retz

did everything he could to downplay his merit and emphasize the role of

luck in his success. To put people at ease, he acted humbly and

deferentially, as if nothing had changed. (In reality, of course, he now had

much more power than before.) He wrote that these wise policies “produced

a good effect, by lessening the envy which was conceived against me,

which is the greatest of all secrets.” Follow de Retz's example. Subtly

emphasize how lucky you have been, to make your happiness seem more

attainable to other people, and die need for envy less acute. But be careful

not to affect a false modesty diat people can easily see through. This will

only make mem more envious. The act has to be good; your humility, and

your openness to those you have left behind, have to seem genuine. Any

hint of insincerity will only make your new status more oppressive.

Remember: Despite your elevated position, it will do you no good to

alienate your former peers. Power requires a wide and solid support base,

which envy can silendy destroy.

Political power of any kind creates envy, and one of the best ways to

deflect it before it takes root is to seem unambitious. When Ivan the Terrible

died, Boris Godunov knew he was the only one on the scene who could lead

Russia. But if he sought the position eagerly, he would stir up envy and

suspicion among the boyars, so he refused die crown, not once but several

times. He made people insist mat he take die throne. George Washington

used the same strategy to great effect, first in refusing to keep the position

of Commander in Chief of the American army, second in resisting the

presidency. In both cases he made himself more popular than ever. People

cannot envy the power that tiiey themselves have given a person who does

not seem to desire it.

According to me Elizabeman statesman and writer Sir Francis Bacon,

the wisest policy of the powerful is to create a kind of pity for themselves,

as if their responsibilities were a burden and a sacrifice. How can one envy

a man who has taken on a heavy load for the public interest Disguise your

power as a kind of self-sacrifice rather than a source of happiness and you

make it seem less enviable. Emphasize your troubles and you turn a

potential danger (envy) into a source of moral support (pity). A similar ploy

is to hint that your good fortune will benefit those around you. To do this

you may need to open your purse strings, like Cimon, a wealdiy general in

ancient Athens who gave lavishly in all kinds of ways to prevent people

from resenting the influence he had bought in Atiienian politics. He paid a

high price to deflect dieir envy, but in the end it saved him from ostracism

and banishment from the city.

The painter J. M. W. Turner devised another way of giving to deflect the

envy of his fellow artists, which he recognized as his greatest obstacle to his

success. Noticing diat his incomparable color skills made them afraid to

hang their paintings next to his in exhibitions, he realized that their fear

would turn to envy, and would eventually make it harder for him to find

galleries to show in. On occasion, dien, Turner is known to have

temporarily dampened the colors in his paintings with soot to earn him the

goodwill of his colleagues.

one of his men to have them embarked. He himself returned to Rome.

... The quantity of marbles was immense, so that, spread over the

piazza, they were the admiration of all and a joy to the pope, who heaped

immeasurable favors upon Michelangelo; and when he began to work upon

them again and again went to see him at his house, and talked to him about

the tomb and other things as with his own brother. And in order that he

might more easily go to him, the pope ordered that a drawbridge should be

thrown across from the Corri-dore to the rooms of Michelangelo, by which

he might visit him in private.

These many and frequent favors were the cause (as often is the case at

court) of much envy, and, after the envy, of endless persecution, since

Bramante, the architect, who was loved by the pope, made him change his

mind as to the monument by telling him, as is said by the vulgar, that it is

unlucky to build one's tomb in one's lifetime, and other tales. Fear as well as

envy stimulated Bramante, for the judgment of Michelangelo had exposed

many of his errors.... Now because he had no doubt that Michelangelo knew

these errors of his, he always sought to remove him from Rome, or, at least,

to deprive him of the

favor of the pope, and of the glory and usefulness that he might have

acquired by his industry. He succeeded in the matter of the tomb. There is

no doubt that if Michelangelo had been allowed to finish it, according to his

first design, having so large afield in which to show his worth, no other

artist, however celebrated (be it said without envy) could have wrested from

him the high place he would have held.

Did ever anybody seriously confess to envy Something there is in it

universally felt to be more shameful than even felonious crime. And not

only does everybody disown it, but the better sort are inclined to incredulity

when it is in earnest imputed to an intelligent man. But since lodgment is in

the heart not the brain, no degree of intellect supplies a guarantee against it.

billy budd,

Herman Melville,

1819-1891

To deflect envy, Gracian recommends that the powerful display a

weakness, a minor social indiscretion, a harmless vice. Give those who

envy you someming to feed on, distracting them from your more important

sins. Remember: It is the reality that matters. You may have to play games

with appearances, but in the end you will have what counts: true power. In

some Arab countries, a man will avoid arousing envy by doing as Cosimo

de Medici did by showing his wealth only on the inside of his house. Apply

this wisdom to your own character.

Beware of some of envy's disguises. Excessive praise is an almost sure

sign that die person praising you envies you; they are either setting you up

for a fallit will be impossible for you to live up to their praiseor they are

sharpening their blades behind your back. At the same time, those who are

hypercritical of you, or who slander you publicly, probably envy you as

well. Recognize their behavior as disguised envy and you keep out of the

trap of mutual mud-slinging, or of taking their criticisms to heart. Win your

revenge by ignoring tiieir measly presence.

Do not try to help or do favors for those who envy you; they will think

you are condescending to them. Joe Orton's attempt to help Halliwell find a

gallery for his work only intensified his lover's feelings of inferiority and

envy. Once envy reveals itself for what it is, the only solution is often to

flee the presence of the enviers, leaving them to stew in a hell of their own

creation.

Finally, be aware that some environments are more conducive to envy

than others. The effects of envy are more serious among colleagues and

peers, where there is a veneer of equality. Envy is also destructive in

democratic environments where overt displays of power are looked down

upon. Be extrasensitive in such environments. The filmmaker Ingmar

Bergman was hounded by Swedish tax authorities because he stood out in a

country where standing out from the crowd is frowned on. It is almost

impossible to avoid envy in such cases, and there is little you can do but

accept it graciously and take none of it personally. As Thoreau once said,

“Envy is die tax which all distinction must pay.”

Image: A Garden of Weeds. You may not feed them but they spread as

you water the garden. You may not see how, but they take over, tall and

ugly, preventing anything beautiful from flourishing. Before it is too late,

do not water indiscriminately. Destroy the weeds of envy by giving them

nothing to feed on.

Authority: Upon occasion, reveal a harmless defect in your character.

For the envious accuse the most perfect of sinning by having no sins. They

become an Argus, all eyes for finding fault with excellenceit is their only

consolation. Do not let envy burst with its own venomaffect some lapse in

valor or intellect, so as to disarm it beforehand. You thus wave your red

cape before the Horns of Envy, in order to save your immortality. (Baltasar

Gracian, 1601-1658)

REVERSAL

The reason for being careful with the envious is that they are so indirect,

and will find innumerable ways to undermine you. But treading carefully

around them will often only make their envy worse. They sense that you are

being cautious, and it registers as yet another sign of your superiority. That

is why you must act before envy takes root.

Once envy is there, however, whether through your fault or not, it is

sometimes best to affect the opposite approach: Display the utmost disdain

for those who envy you. Instead of hiding your perfection, make it obvious.

Make every new triumph an opportunity to make the envious squirm. Your

good fortune and power become their living hell. If you attain a position of

unimpeachable power, their envy will have no effect on you, and you will

have the best revenge of all: They are trapped in envy while you are free in

your power.

This is how Michelangelo triumphed over die venomous architect

Bramante, who turned Pope Julius against Michelangelo's design for his

tomb. Bramante envied Michelangelo's godlike skills, and to this one

triumphthe aborted tomb projecthe thought to add another, by pushing the

pope to commission Michelangelo to paint the murals in the Sistine Chapel.

The project would take years, during which Michelangelo would

accomplish no more of his brilliant sculptures. Furthermore, Bramante

considered Michelangelo not nearly as skilled in painting as in sculpture.

The chapel would spoil his image as the perfect artist.

Michelangelo saw the trap and wanted to turn down the commission,

but he could not refuse the pope, so he accepted it without complaint. Then,

however, he used Bramante's envy to spur him to greater heights, making

the Sistine Chapel his most perfect work of all. Every time Bramante heard

of it or saw it, he felt more oppressed by his own envydie sweetest and most

lasting revenge you can exact on die envious.

Know how to triumph over envy and malice. Here contempt, although

prudent, counts, indeed, for little; magnanimity is better. A good word

concerning one who speaks evil of you cannot be praised too highly: there

is no revenge more heroic than that brought about by those merits and

attainments which frustrate and torment the envious. Every stroke of good

fortune is a further twist of the rope round the neck of the ill-disposed and

the heaven of the envied is hell for the envious. To convert your good

fortune into poison for your enemies is held to be the most severe

punishment you can inflict on them. The envious man dies not only once

but as many times as the person he envies lives to hear the voice of praise;

the eternity of the latter's fame is the measure of the former's punishment:

the one is immortal in his glory, the latter in his misery. The trumpet of

fame which sounds immortality for the one heralds death for the other, who

is sentenced to be choked to death on his own envy.

Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658

48 Laws of Power

LAW 47

DO NOT GO PAST THE MARK YOU AIMED FOR;

IN VICTORY, LEARN WHEN TO STOP

JUDGMENT

The moment of victory is often the moment of greatest peril. In the heat

of victory, arrogance and overconfi-dence can push you past the goal you

had aimed for, and by going too far, you make more enemies than you

defeat. Do not allow success to go to your head. There is no substitute for

strategy and careful planning. Set a goal, and when you reach it, stop.

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

In 559 B.C., a young man named Cyrus gathered an immense army

from die scattered tribes of Persia and marched against his grandfadier

Astyages, king of the Medes. He defeated Astyages with ease, had himself

crowned king of Medea and Persia, and began to forge the Persian Empire.

Victory followed victory in quick succession. Cyrus defeated Croesus, ruler

of Lydia, then conquered the Ionian islands and odier smaller kingdoms; he

marched on Babylon and crushed it. Now he was known as Cyrus the Great,

King of the World.

After capturing the riches of Babylon, Cyrus set his sights on the east,

on the half-barbaric tribes of the Massagetai, a vast realm on the Caspian

Sea. A fierce warrior race led by Queen Tomyris, the Massagetai lacked the

riches of Babylon, but Cyrus decided to attack them anyway, believing

himself superhuman and incapable of defeat. The Massagetai would fall

easily to his vast armies, making his empire immense.

In 529 B.C., then, Cyrus marched to the wide river Araxes, gateway to

the kingdom of the Massagetai. As he set up camp on die western bank, he

received a message from Queen Tomyris: “King of the Medes,” she told

him, “I advise you to abandon this enterprise, for you cannot know if in the

end it will do you any good. Rule your own people, and try to bear the sight

of me ruling mine. But of course you will refuse my advice, as the last diing

you wish for is to live in peace.” Tomyris, confident of her army's strength

and not wishing to delay the inevitable batde, offered to withdraw die

troops on her side of the river, allowing Cyrus to cross its waters safely and

fight her army on the eastern side, if diat was his desire.

Cyrus agreed, but instead of engaging the enemy directly he decided to

play a trick. The Massagetai knew few luxuries. Once Cyrus had crossed

the river and made his camp on the eastern side, he set the table for an

elaborate banquet, full of meat, delicacies, and strong wine. Then he left his

weakest troops in the camp and withdrew die rest of the army to the river. A

large Massagetai detachment soon attacked the camp and killed all of the

Persian soldiers in a fierce batde. Then, overwhelmed by die fabulous feast

that had been left behind, they ate and drank to dieir hearts' content. Later,

inevitably, they fell asleep. The Persian army returned to the camp that

night, killing many of die sleeping soldiers and capturing die rest. Among

the prisoners was dieir general, a youth named Spargapises, son of Queen

Tomyris.

When die queen learned what had happened, she sent a message to

Cyrus, chiding him for using tricks to defeat her army. “Now listen to me,”

she wrote, “and I will advise you for your own good: Give me back my son

and leave my country with your forces intact, and be content with your

triumph over a third part of the Massagetai. If you refuse, I swear by the sun

our master to give you more blood dian you can drink, for all your

gluttony.” Cyrus scoffed at her: He would not release her son. He would

crush these barbarians.

The queen's son, seeing he would not be released, could not stand the

Till-. V.MMM.OHIOl'S COCKI'.KKI.

Two cockerels fought on a dungheap. One cockerel was the stronger: he

vanquished the other and drove him from the dungheap. All the hens

gathered around the cockerel, and began to laud him. The cockerel wanted

his strength and glory to be known in the next yard. He flew on lop of the

barn, flapped his wings, and crowed in a loud voice: “Look at me, all of

you. I am a victorious cockerel. No other cockerel in the world has such

strength as I.” The cockerel had not finished, when an eagle killed him,

seized him in his claws, and carried him to his nest.

TABLES,

Leo Tolstoy, 1828-1910

In all your cross-examinations .... most important of all, let me repeal

the injunction to be ever on the alert for a good place to stop. Nothing can

be more important than to cU)se your examination with a triumph. So many

lawyers succeed in catching a witness in a serious contradiction; but, not

satisfied with this, go on asking questions, and taper off their examination

until the effect upon the jury of their former advantage is lost altogether.

the art 0^ cross-examination, Francis L.Wfi.lman, 1913

We read of many instances of this kind; for the general who by his valor

has conquered a state for his master, and won great glory for himself by his

victory over the enemy, and has loaded his soldiers with rich booty, acquires

necessarily with his own soldiers, as well as with those of the enemy and

with the subjects of the prince, so high a reputation, that his very victory

may become distasteful, and a cause for apprehension to his prince. For as

the

humiliation, and so he killed himself. The news of her son's death

overwhelmed Tomyris. She gathered all the forces that she could muster in

her kingdom, and whipping them into a vengeful frenzy, engaged Cyrus's

troops in a violent and bloody battle. Finally, the Massagetai prevailed. In

their anger they decimated the Persian army, killing Cyrus himself.

After the battle, Tomyris and her soldiers searched the battlefield for

Cyrus's corpse. When she found it she cut off his head and shoved it into a

wineskin full of human blood, crying out, “Though I have conquered you

and live, yet you have ruined me by treacherously taking my son. See nowI

fulfill my tiireat: You have your fill of blood.” After Cyrus's death, the

Persian Empire quickly unraveled. One act of arrogance undid all of Cyrus's

good work.

Interpretation

There is nothing more intoxicating man victory, and nothing more

dangerous.

Cyrus had built his great empire on the ruins of a previous one. A

hundred years earlier, the powerful Assyrian Empire had been totally

destroyed, its once splendid capital of Nineveh but ruins in the sand. The

Assyrians had suffered this fate because they had pushed too far, destroying

one city-state after another until mey lost sight of the purposes of their

victories, and also of the costs. They overextended themselves and made

many enemies who were finally able to band together and destroy them.

Cyrus ignored the lesson of Assyria. He paid no heed to the warnings of

oracles and advisers. He did not worry about offending a queen. His many

victories had gone to his head, clouding his reason. Instead of consolidating

his already vast empire, he pushed forward. Instead of recognizing each

situation as different, he thought each new war would bring the same result

as the one before as long as he used the methods he knew: ruthless force

and cunning.

Understand: In the realm of power, you must be guided by reason. To let

a momentary thrill or an emotional victory influence or guide your moves

will prove fatal. When you attain success, step back. Be cautious. When

you gain victory, understand the part played by the particular circumstances

of a situation, and never simply repeat the same actions again and again.

History is littered with the ruins of victorious empires and die corpses of

leaders who could not learn to stop and consolidate their gains.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

No single person in history has occupied a more delicate and precarious

position than the king's mistress. She had no real or legitimate power base

to fall back on in times of trouble; she was surrounded by packs of envious

courtiers eagerly anticipating her fall from grace; and finally, since die

source of her power was usually her physical beauty, for most royal

mistresses mat fall was inevitable and unpleasant.

King Louis XV of France began to keep official mistresses in the early

days of his reign, each woman's good fortune rarely lasting more than a few

years. But men came Madame de Pompadour, who, when she was a middle-

class child of nine named Jeanne Poisson, had been told by a fortune-teller

that she would someday be the king's favorite. This seemed an absurd

dream, since die royal mistress almost always came from the aristocracy.

Jeanne nevertheless believed herself destined to seduce the king, and doing

so became her obsession. She applied herself to the talents the king's

favorite had to havemusic, dancing, acting, horseback riding and she

excelled in every one of them. As a young woman, she married a man of the

lower nobility, which gave her an entree to the best salons in Paris. Word

quickly spread of her beauty, talent, charm, and intelligence.

Jeanne Poisson became close friends with Voltaire, Montesquieu, and

other great minds of the time, but she never lost sight of the goal she had set

herself as a girl: to capture the heart of the king. Her husband had a chateau

in a forest where the king would often go hunting, and she began to spend a

lot of time there. Studying his movements like a hawk, she would make

sure he would “happen” to come upon her while she was out walking in her

most alluring dress, or riding in her splendid coach. The king began to take

note of her, making her gifts of die game he caught in the hunt.

In 1744 Louis's current mistress, the Duchesse de Chateauroux, died.

Jeanne went on the offensive. She placed herself everywhere he would be:

at masked balls at Versailles, at the opera, wherever their paths would cross,

and wherever she could display her many talents: dancing, singing, riding,

coquetry. The king finally succumbed to her charms, and in a ceremony at

Versailles in September of 1745, diis twenty-four-year-old daughter of a

middle-class banking agent was officially inaugurated as the king's

mistress. She was given her own room in the palace, a room the king could

enter at any time via a hidden stairway and back door. And because some of

the courtiers were angry that he had chosen a woman of low origins, he

made her a marquise. From now on she would be known as Madame de

Pompadour.

The king was a man whom die slightest feeling of boredom would

oppress out of proportion. Madame de Pompadour knew that keeping him

under her spell meant keeping him amused. To that end she put on constant

theatrical productions at Versailles, in which she starred. She organized

elaborate hunting parties, masked balls, and whatever else it would take to

keep him diverted outside the bedroom. She became a patroness of the arts,

and the arbiter of taste and fashion for all of France. Her enemies at the

court only grew in number with each new success, but Madame de

Pompadour thwarted diem in a totally novel way for a king's mistress: with

extreme politeness. Snobs who resented her for her low birth she won over

with charm and grace. Most unusual of all, she befriended die queen, and

insisted mat Louis XV pay more attention to his wife, and treat her more

kindly. Even the royal family begrudgingly gave her their support. To

nature of men is ambitious as well as suspicious, and puts no limits to

one's good fortune, it is not impossible that the suspicion that may suddenly

be aroused in the mind of the prince by the victory of the general may have

been aggravated by some haughty expressions or insolent acts on his part;

so that the prince will naturally be made to think of securing himself against

the ambition of his general. And to do this, the means that suggest

themselves to him are either to have the general killed, or to deprive him of

that reputation which he has acquired with the prince's army and the people,

by using every means to prove that the general's victory was not due to his

skill and courage, but to chance and the cowardice of the enemy, or to the

sagacity of the other captains who were with him in that action.

NiccolO Machiavelli, 1469-1527

A man who was famous as a tree climber was guiding someone in

climbing a tall tree. He ordered the man to cut the top branches, and, during

this time, when the man seemed to be in great danger, the expert said

nothing. Only when the man was coming down and had reached the height

of the eaves did the expert call out, “Be careful! Watch your step coming

down!” I asked him, “Why did you say that At that height he could jump

the rest of the way if he chose. ” “That's the point, ” said the expert. “As

long as the man was up at a dizzy height and the branches were threatening

to break, he himself was so afraid I said nothing. Mistakes are always made

when people get to the easy places. ” This man belonged to the lowest class,

but his words were in perfect accord with the precepts of the sages. In

football too, they say that after you have kicked out of a difficult place and

you think the next one will be easier you are sure to miss the ball.

essays in idleness,

Kenko,

Japan,

fourteenthcentury

crown her glory, die king made her a duchess. Her sway was felt even in

politics: Indeed she became the untided minister of foreign affairs.

In 1751, when Madame de Pompadour was at the height of her power,

she experienced her worst crisis. Physically weakened by die

responsibilities of her position, she found it increasingly difficult to meet

die king's demands in bed. This was usually the point at which die mistress

would meet her end, struggling to maintain her position as her beauty faded.

But Madame de Pompadour had a strategy: She encouraged the king to set

up a kind of brothel, Pare aux Cerfs, on the grounds of Versailles. There die

middle-aged king could have liaisons widi die most beautiful young girls in

the realm.

Madame de Pompadour knew tiiat her charm and her political acumen

had made her indispensable to the king. What did she have to fear from a

sixteen-year-old who had none of her power and presence What did it

matter if she lost her position in the bedroom, as long as she remained the

most powerful woman in France To secure tiiat position she became still

closer friends with the queen, with whom she started attending church.

Although her enemies at the court conspired to have her toppled from her

official position as king's mistress, die king kept her on, for he needed her

calming effect. It was only when her part in the disastrous Seven Years' War

drew much criticism on her that she slowly wididrew from public affairs.

Madame de Pompadour's healdi had always been delicate, and she died

at the age of forty-three, in 1764. Her reign as mistress had lasted an

unprecedented twenty years. “She was regretted by all,” wrote the Due de

Croy, “for she was kindly and helpful to everyone who approached her.”

Interpretation

Aware of die temporariness of her power, die king's mistress would

often go into a kind of frenzy after capturing die king: She would try to

accumulate as much money as possible to protect her after her inevitable

fall. And to extend her reign as long as possible, she would be rutiiless widi

her enemies in the court. Her situation, in odier words, seemed to demand

from her a greed and vindictiveness diat would often be her undoing.

Madame de Pompadour succeeded where all others had failed because she

never pressed her good fortune. Instead of bullying die courtiers from her

powerful position as die king's mistress, she tried to win their support. She

never revealed die slightest hint of greed or arrogance. When she could no

longer perform her physical duties as mistress, she did not fret at the

tiiought of someone replacing her in bed. She simply applied some

strategyshe encouraged the king to take young lovers, knowing that the

younger and prettier they were, the less of a direat they posed, since diey

could not compare to her in charm and sophistication and would soon bore

die monarch.

Success plays strange tricks on die mind. It makes you feel

invulnerable, while also making you more hostile and emotional when

people chal-

lenge your power. It makes you less able to adapt to circumstance. You

come to believe your character is more responsible for your success than

your strategizing and planning. Like Madame de Pompadour, you need to

realize that your moment of triumph is also a moment when you have to

rely on cunning and strategy all the more, consolidating your power base,

recognizing the role of luck and circumstance in your success, and

remaining vigilant against changes in your good fortune. It is the moment of

victory when you need to play the courtier's game and pay more attention

dian ever to the laws of power.

The greatest danger occurs at the moment of victory. Napoleon

Bonaparte, 1769-1821

KEYS TO POWER

Power has its own rhythms and patterns. Those who succeed at the

game are the ones who control the patterns and vary them at will, keeping

people off balance while they set the tempo. The essence of strategy is

controlling what comes next, and the elation of victory can upset your

ability to control what comes next in two ways. First, you owe your success

to a pattern that you are apt to try to repeat. You will try to keep moving in

the same direction without stopping to see whether this is still die direction

that is best for you. Second, success tends to go to your head and make you

emotional. Feeling invulnerable, you make aggressive moves diat

ultimately undo die victory you have gained.

The lesson is simple: The powerful vary dieir rhythms and patterns,

change course, adapt to circumstance, and learn to improvise. Radier than

letting their dancing feet impel them forward, they step back and look

where they are going. It is as if dieir bloodstream bore a kind of antidote to

the intoxication of victory, letting them control their emotions and come to

a kind of mental halt when they have attained success. They steady tiiem-

selves, give themselves the space to reflect on what has happened, examine

the role of circumstance and luck in tiieir success. As they say in riding

school, you have to be able to control yourself before you can control the

horse.

Luck and circumstance always play a role in power. This is inevitable,

and actually makes die game more interesting. But despite what you may

think, good luck is more dangerous tiian bad luck. Bad luck teaches

valuable lessons about patience, timing, and the need to be prepared for the

worst; good luck deludes you into die opposite lesson, making you mink

your brillliance will carry you dirough. Your fortune will inevitably turn,

and when it does you will be completely unprepared.

According to Machiavelli, this is what undid Cesare Borgia. He had

many triumphs, was actually a clever strategist, but had the bad luck to have

good luck: He had a pope for a fatiier. Then, when he had bad luck for

realhis father's deamhe was unprepared for it, and the many ene-

mies he had made devoured him. The good luck diat elevates you or

seals your success brings the moment for you to open your eyes: The wheel

of fortune will hurtle you down as easily as up. If you prepare for the fall, it

is less likely to ruin you when it happens.

People who have a run of success can catch a kind of fever, and even

when they themselves try to stay calm, the people below diem often

pressure diem to go past their mark and into dangerous waters. You have to

have a strategy for dealing with these people. Simply preaching moderation

will make you look weak and small-minded; seeming to fail to follow up on

a victory can lessen your power.

When the Athenian general and statesman Pericles led a series of naval

campaigns around the Black Sea in 436 B.C., his easy triumphs en-flamed

die Adienians' desire for more. They dreamed of conquering Egypt,

overrunning Persia, sailing for Sicily. On the one hand Pericles reined in

these dangerous emotions by warning of the perils of hubris. On the other

hand he fed them by fighting small battles that he knew he could win,

creating the appearance that he was preserving the momentum of success.

The skill with which Pericles played this game is revealed by what

happened when he died: The demagogues took over, pushed Adiens into

invading Sicily, and in one rash move destroyed an empire.

The rhydim of power often requires an alternation of force and cunning.

Too much force creates a counterreaction; too much cunning, no matter how

cunning it is, becomes predictable. Working on behalf of his master, die

shogun Oda Nobunaga, the great sixteenth-century Japanese general (and

future emperor) Hideyoshi once engineered a stunning victory over the

army of the formidable General Yoshimoto. The shogun wanted to go

further, to take on and crush yet another powerful enemy, but Hideyoshi

reminded him of the old Japanese saying: “When you have won a victory,

tighten the strings of your helmet.” For Hideyoshi this was die moment for

the shogun to switch from force to cunning and indirection, setting his

enemies against one another through a series of deceptive alliances. In diis

way he would avoid stirring up needless opposition by appearing overly

aggressive. When you are victorious, tiien, lie low, and lull the enemy into

inaction. These changes of rhydim are immensely powerful.

People who go past the mark are often motivated by a desire to please a

master by proving their dedication. But an excess of effort exposes you to

die risk of making the master suspicious of you. On several occasions,

generals under Philip of Macedon were disgraced and demoted immediately

after leading dieir troops to a great victory; one more such victory, Philip

thought, and the man might become a rival instead of an underling. When

you serve a master, it is often wise to measure your victories carefully,

letting him get die glory and never making him uneasy. It is also wise to

establish a pattern of strict obedience to earn his trust. In the fourth century

B.C., a captain under die notoriously severe Chinese general Wu Ch'i

charged ahead before a batde had begun and came back with several

enemy heads. He tiiought he had shown his fiery enthusiasm, but Wu

Ch'i was unimpressed. “A talented officer,” die general said with a sigh as

he ordered the man beheaded, “but a disobedient one.”

Another moment when a small success can spoil the chances for a larger

one may come if a master or superior grants you a favor: It is a dangerous

mistake to ask for more. You will seem insecureperhaps you feel you did

not deserve this favor, and have to grab as much as you can when you have

the chance, which may not come again. The proper response is to accept the

favor graciously and withdraw. Any subsequent favors you should earn

without having to ask for them.

Finally, the moment when you stop has great dramatic import. What

comes last sticks in the mind as a kind of exclamation point. There is no

better time to stop and walk away than after a victory. Keep going and you

risk lessening the effect, even ending up defeated. As lawyers say of cross-

examination, “Always stop with a victory.”

Image: Icarus Falling from the Sky. His father Daedalus fashions wings

of wax that allow the two men to fly out of the labyrinth and escape the

Minotaur. Elated by the triumphant escape and the feeling of flight, Icarus

soars higher and higher, until the sun melts the wings and he hurtles to his

death.

Authority: Princes and republics should content themselves with

victory, for when they aim at more, they generally lose. The use of insulting

language toward an enemy arises from the insolence of victory, or from the

false hope of victory, which latter misleads men as often in their actions as

in their words; for when this false hope takes possession of the mind, it

makes men go beyond the mark, and causes them to sacrifice a certain good

for an uncertain better. (Niccolo Machiavelli, 1469-1527)

REVERSAL

As Machiavelli says, either destroy a man or leave him alone entirely.

Inflicting half punishment or mild injury will only create an enemy whose

bitterness will grow with time, and who will take revenge. When you beat

an enemy, then, make your victory complete. Crush him into nonexistence.

In the moment of victory, you do not restrain yourself from crushing the

enemy you have defeated, but rather from needlessly advancing against

others. Be merciless with your enemy, but do not create new enemies by

overreaching.

There are some who become more cautious than ever after a victory,

which they see as just giving them more possessions to worry about and

protect. Your caution after victory should never make you hesitate, or lose

momentum, but rather act as a safeguard against rash action. On the other

hand, momentum as a phenomenon is gready overrated. You create your

own successes, and if they follow one upon the otiier, it is your own doing.

Belief in momentum will only make you emotional, less prone to act

strategically, and more apt to repeat the same memods. Leave momentum

for those who have nothing better to rely upon.

48 Laws of Power

LAW 48

ASSUME FORMLESSNESS

JUDGMENT

By taking a shape, by having a visible plan, you open yourself to attack.

Instead of taking a form for your enemy to grasp, keep yourself adaptable

and on the move. Accept the fact that nothing is certain and no law is fixed.

The best way to protect yourself is to be as fluid and formless as water;

never bet on stability or lasting order. Everything changes.

In martial arts, it is important that strategy he unfathomable, that form

he concealed, and that movements he unexpected, so that preparedness

against than he impossible. What enables a good general to win without fail

is always having unfathomable wisdom and a modus operandi that leaves

no tracks. Only the formless cannot be affected. Sages hide in unfath-

omability, so their feelings cannot he observed; they operate in

formlessness, so their lines cannot be crossed.

China,

“What crime have I committed that I should be thus mutilated by my

own master ” pensively exclaimed Jowlcr, a young mastiff. “Here's a pretty

condition for a dog of my pretentions! How can I show my face among my

friends'/ Oh! king of beasts, or rather their tyrant, who would dare to treat

you thus ” His complaints were not unfounded, for that very morning, his

master, despite the piercing shrieks of our young friend, had

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

By the eighth century B.C., the city-states of Greece had grown so large

and prosperous that they had run out of land to support dieir expanding

populations. So they turned to the sea, establishing colonies in Asia Minor,

Sicily, the Italian peninsula, even Africa. The city-state of Sparta, however,

was landlocked and surrounded by mountains. Lacking access to the

Mediterranean, the Spartans never became a seafaring people; instead they

turned on the cities around diem, and, in a series of brutal, violent conflicts

lasting more than a hundred years, managed to conquer an immense area

diat would provide enough land for dieir citizens. This solution to dieir

problem, however, brought a new, more formidable one: How could diey

maintain and police dieir conquered territories The subordinate peoples diey

ruled now outnumbered diem ten to one. Surely Uiis horde would take a

horrible revenge on diem.

Sparta's solution was to create a society dedicated to die art of war.

Spartans would be tougher, stronger, and fiercer dian dieir neighbors. This

was die only way diey could ensure dieir stability and survival.

When a Spartan boy reached the age of seven, he was taken from his

mother and placed in a military club where he was trained to fight and

underwent the strictest discipline. The boys slept on beds of reeds; diey

were allotted only one outer garment to wear for an entire year. They

studied none of die arts; indeed, the Spartans banned music, and permitted

only slaves to practice die crafts diat were necessary to sustain diem. The

only skills die Spartans taught were diose of warfare. Children seen as

weaklings were left to die in a cavern in die mountains. No system of

money or trading was allowed in Sparta; acquired wealtii, diey believed,

would sow selfishness and dissension, weakening dieir warrior discipline.

The only way a Spartan could earn a living was tiirough agriculture, mosdy

on state-owned lands, which slaves, called helots, would work for him.

The Spartans' single-mindedness allowed tiiem to forge die most

powerful infantry in the world. They marched in perfect order and fought

widi incomparable bravery. Their tight-knit phalanxes could vanquish an

army ten times dieir size, as diey proved in defeating die Persians at

Thermopylae. A Spartan column on die march would strike terror in die

enemy; it seemed to have no weaknesses. Yet although die Spartans proved

tiiem-selves mighty warriors, tiiey had no interest in creating an empire.

They only wanted to keep what diey had already conquered and to defend it

against invaders. Decades would pass witiiout a single change in the system

diat had succeeded so well in preserving Sparta's status quo.

At die same time tiiat die Spartans were evolving dieir warlike culture,

anotiier city-state was rising to equal prominence: Atiiens. Unlike Sparta,

Adiens had taken to die sea, not so much to create colonies as for purposes

of trade. The Adienians became great merchants; dieir currency, me famous

“owl coins,” spread mroughout die Mediterranean. Unlike die rigid

Spartans, die Adienians responded to every problem with consummate

creativity, adapting to die occasion and creating new social forms and new

arts at an incredible pace. Their society was in constant flux. And as

their power grew, they came to pose a threat to the defense-minded

Spartans.

In 431 B.C., the war that had been brewing between Athens and Sparta

for so long finally erupted. It lasted twenty-seven years, but after many

twists of fortune, the Spartan war machine finally emerged victorious. The

Spartans now commanded an empire, and this time uiey could not stay in

their shell. If they gave up what they had gained, the beaten Athenians

would regroup and rise against them, and the long war would have been

fought for naught.

After the war, Athenian money poured into Sparta. The Spartans had

been trained in warfare, not politics or economics; because they were so

unaccustomed to it, wealth and its accompanying ways of life seduced and

overwhelmed them. Spartan governors were sent to rule what had been

Athenian lands; far from home, they succumbed to the worst forms of

corruption. Sparta had defeated Athens, but the fluid Athenian way of life

was slowly breaking down its discipline and loosening its rigid order. And

Athens, meanwhile, was adapting to losing its empire, managing to thrive

as a cultural and economic center.

Confused by a change in its status quo, Sparta grew weaker and weaker.

Some thirty years after defeating Athens, it lost an important batde with the

city-state of Thebes. Almost overnight, this once mighty nation collapsed,

never to recover.

Interpretation

In the evolution of species, protective armor has almost always spelled

disaster. Although there are a few exceptions, the shell most often becomes

a dead end for the animal encased in it; it slows the creature down, making

it hard for it to forage for food and making it a target for fast-moving

predators. Animals that take to the sea or sky, and that move swiftly and

unpredictably, are infinitely more powerful and secure.

In facing a serious problemcontrolling superior numbersSparta reacted

like an animal that develops a shell to protect itself from the environment.

But like a turtle, the Spartans sacrificed mobility for safety. They managed

to preserve stability for three hundred years, but at what cost They had no

culture beyond warfare, no arts to relieve the tension, a constant anxiety

about the status quo. While their neighbors took to the sea, learning to adapt

to a world of constant motion, the Spartans entombed themselves in their

own system. Victory would mean new lands to govern, which tfiey did not

want; defeat would mean the end of their military machine, which they did

not want, either. Only stasis allowed them to survive. But nothing in the

world can remain stable forever, and the shell or system you evolve for your

protection will someday prove your undoing.

In the case of Sparta, it was not the armies of Athens that defeated it,

but the Athenian money. Money flows everywhere it has the opportunity to

go; it cannot be controlled, or made to fit a prescribed pattern. It is

inherently chaotic. And in the long run, money made Athens the conqueror,

barbarously cut off his long pendent ears. Jowler expected nothing less

than to give up the ghost. As he advanced in years, he perceived that he

gained more than he had lost by his mutilation; for, being naturally inclined

to fight with others, he would often have returned home with this part

disfigured in a hundred places. A quarrelsome dog always has his ears

lacerated. The less we leave others to lay hold of the better. When one has

but one point to defend, it should be protected for fear of accident. Take for

example Master Jowler, who, being armed with a spiked collar, and having

about as much ear as a bird, a wolf would be puzzled to know where to

tackle him.

FABLES,

Jean de La Fontaine, 1621-1695

One seductive and ultimately always fatal path has been the

development of protective armor. An organism can protect itself by

concealment, by swiftness in flight, by effective counterattack, by uniting

for attack and defense with other individuals of its species and also by

encasing itself within bony plates and spines.... Almost always the

experiment of armor failed. Creatures adopting it tended to become

unwieldy. They had to move relatively slowly. Hence they were forced to

live mainly on vegetable food; and thus in general they were at a

disadvantage as compared with foes living on more rapidly “profitable ”

animal food: The repeated failure of protective armor shows that, even at a

somewhat low evolutionary level, mind triumphed over mere matter. It is

this sort of triumph which has been supremely exemplified in Man.

SCIENTIFIC THEORY AND RELIGION,

E. W. Barnes, 1933

by infiltrating the Spartan system and corroding its protective armor. In

the battle between the two systems, Adiens was fluid and creative enough to

take new forms, while Sparta could grow only more rigid until it cracked.

This is the way the world works, whether for animals, cultures, or

individuals. In the face of the world's harshness and danger, organisms of

any kind develop protectiona coat of armor, a rigid system, a comforting

ritual. For the short term it may work, but for the long term it spells disaster.

People weighed down by a system and inflexible ways of doing things

cannot move fast, cannot sense or adapt to change. They lumber around

more and more slowly until they go the way of the brontosaurus. Learn to

move fast and adapt or you will be eaten.

The best way to avoid diis fate is to assume formlessness. No predator

alive can attack what it cannot see.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

When World War II ended and the Japanese, who had invaded China in

1937, had finally been thrown out, the Chinese Nationalists, lead by Chiang

Kai-shek, decided the time had come to annihilate the Chinese

Communists, their hated rivals, once and for all. They had almost

succeeded in 1935, forcing the Communists into the Long March, the

grueling retreat mat had gready diminished their numbers. Although the

Communists had recovered somewhat during the war against Japan, it

would not be difficult to defeat them now. They controlled only isolated

areas in the countryside, had unsophisticated weaponry, lacked any military

experience or training beyond mountain fighting, and controlled no

important parts of China, except areas of Manchuria, which they had

managed to take after die Japanese retreat. Chiang decided to commit his

best forces in Manchuria. He would take over its major cities and from

those bases would spread through this northern industrial region, sweeping

the Communists away. Once Manchuria had fallen the Communists would

collapse.

In 1945 and '46 the plan worked perfectly: The Nationalists easily took

the major Manchurian cities. Puzzlingly, though, in the face of this critical

campaign, the Communist strategy made no sense. When the Nationalists

began their push, the Communists dispersed to Manchuria's most out-of-

the-way corners. Their small units harassed the Nationalist armies,

ambushing them here, retreating unexpectedly tiiere, but tiiese dispersed

units never linked up, making them hard to attack. They would seize a town

only to give it up a few weeks later. Forming neither rear guards nor

vanguards, they moved like mercury, never staying in one place, elusive

and formless.

The Nationalists ascribed this to two things: cowardice in die face of

superior forces and inexperience in strategy. Mao Tse-tung, die Communist

leader, was more a poet and philosopher than a general, whereas Chiang

had studied warfare in die West and was a follower of die German military

writer Carl von Clausewitz, among others.

Yet a pattern did eventually emerge in Mao's attacks. After the

Nationalists had taken the cities, leaving the Communists to occupy what

was generally considered Manchuria's useless space, the Communists

started using that large space to surround the cities. If Chiang sent an army

from one city to reinforce anotiier, die Communists would encircle the

rescuing army. Chiang's forces were slowly broken into smaller and smaller

units, isolated from one another, their lines of supply and communication

cut. The Nationalists still had superior firepower, but if diey could not

move, what good was it

A kind of terror overcame the Nationalist soldiers. Commanders

comfortably remote from the front lines might laugh at Mao, but the

soldiers had fought the Communists in die mountains, and had come to fear

their elusiveness. Now these soldiers sat in their cities and watched as their

fast-moving enemies, as fluid as water, poured in on them from all sides.

There seemed to be millions of them. The Communists also encircled the

soldiers' spirits, bombarding diem with propaganda to lower their morale

and pressure them to desert.

The Nationalists began to surrender in their minds. Their encircled and

isolated cities started collapsing even before being directly attacked; one

after another fell in quick succession. In November of 1948, the

Nationalists surrendered Manchuria to the Communistsa humiliating blow

to the technically superior Nationalist army, and one that proved decisive in

the war. By the following year the Communists controlled all of China.

Interpretation

The two board games that best approximate tile strategies of war are

chess and the Asian game of go. In chess the board is small. In comparison

to go, the attack comes relatively quickly, forcing a decisive batde. It rarely

pays to withdraw, or to sacrifice your pieces, which must be concentrated at

key areas. Go is much less formal. It is played on a large grid, with 361

intersectionsnearly six times as many positions as in chess. Black and white

stones (one color for each side) are placed on the board's intersections, one

at a time, wherever you like. Once all your stones (52 for each side) are on

the board, the object is to isolate die stones of your opponent by encircling

diem.

A game of gocalled wei-chi in Chinacan last up to three hundred moves.

The strategy is more subtie and fluid than chess, developing slowly; the

more complex the pattern your stones initially create on die board, the

harder it is for your opponent to understand your strategy. Fighting to

control a particular area is not worth the trouble: You have to think in larger

terms, to be prepared to sacrifice an area in order eventually to dominate the

board. What you are after is not an entrenched position but mobility. With

mobility you can isolate the opponent in small areas and men encircle them.

The aim is not to kill off the opponent's pieces directiy, as in chess, but to

induce a kind of paralysis and collapse. Chess is linear, position oriented,

and aggressive; go is nonlinear and fluid. Aggression is indi-

The sage neither seeks to follow the ways of the ancients nor establishes

any fixed standard for all times but examines the things of his age and then

prepares to deal with them. There was in Sung a man, who tilled a field in

which there stood the trunk of a tree. Once a hare, while running fast,

rushed against the trunk, broke its neck, and died. Thereupon the man cast

his plough aside and watched that tree, hoping that he would get another

hare. Yet he never caught another hare and was himself ridiculed by the

people of Sung. Now supposing somebody wanted to govern the people of

the present age with the policies of the early kings, he would be doing

exactly the same thing as that man who watched the tree.

Han-fei-tzu, Chinese philosopher, third century b.c.

General Rommel surpassed Patton as a creative intellect.... Rommel

shunned military formalism. He made no fixed plans beyond those intended

for the initial clash; thereafter, he tailored his tactics to meet specific

situations as they arose. He was a lightning-fast decisionmaker, physically

maintaining a pace that matched his active mentality. In a forbidding sea of

sand, he operated in a free environment. Once Rommel ruptured the British

lines in Africa, he had the whole northern part of the continent opened to

him. Comparatively free from the hamstringing authority of Berlin,

disregarding orders even from Hitler himself on occasion, Rommel

implemented one successful operation after another until he had most of

North Africa under his control and Cairo trembling at his feet.

THE ART OF WINNING WARS,

James Mrazek, 1968

rect until the end of the game, when the winner can surround the

opponent's stones at an accelerated pace.

Chinese military strategists have been influenced by go for centuries. Its

proverbs have been applied to war time and again; Mao Tse-tung was an

addict of wei-chi, and its precepts were ingrained in his strategies. A key

wei-chi concept, for example, is to use the size of the board to your

advantage, spreading out in every direction so mat your opponent cannot

fadiom your movements in a simple linear way.

“Every Chinese,” Mao once wrote, “should consciously throw himself

into this war of a jigsaw pattern” against the Nationalists. Place your men in

a jigsaw pattern in go, and your opponent loses himself trying to figure out

what you are up to. Either he wastes time pursuing you or, like Chiang Kai-

shek, he assumes you are incompetent and fails to protect himself. And if he

concentrates on single areas, as Western strategy advises, he becomes a

sitting duck for encirclement. In die wei-chi way of war, you encircle the

enemy's brain, using mind games, propaganda, and irritation tactics to

confuse and dishearten. This was the strategy of the Communistsan

apparent formlessness mat disoriented and terrified their enemy.

Where chess is linear and direct, the ancient game of go is closer to the

kind of strategy that will prove relevant in a world where battles are fought

indirectiy, in vast, loosely connected areas. Its strategies are abstract and

multidimensional, inhabiting a plane beyond time and space: die strategist's

mind. In this fluid form of warfare, you value movement over position.

Your speed and mobility make it impossible to predict your moves; unable

to understand you, your enemy can form no strategy to defeat you. Instead

of fixing on particular spots, diis indirect form of warfare spreads out, just

as you can use the large and disconnected nature of die real world to your

advantage. Be like a vapor. Do not give your opponents anything solid to

attack; watch as diey exhaust themselves pursuing you, trying to cope with

your elusiveness. Only formlessness allows you to truly surprise your

enemiesby die time they figure out where you are and what you are up to, it

is too late.

When you want to fight us, we don't let you and you can't find us. But

when

we want to fight you, we make sure that you can't get away and we hit

you

squarely . . . and wipe you out. . . . The enemy advances, we retreat; the

enemy

camps, we harass; the enemy tires, we attack; the enemy retreats, we

pursue.

Mao Tse-tung, 1893-1976

KEYS TO POWER

The human animal is distinguished by its constant creation of forms.

Rarely expressing its emotions directiy, it gives them form through

language, or dirough socially acceptable rituals. We cannot communicate

our emotions widiout a form.

The forms that we create, however, change constantiyin fashion, in

style, in all those human phenomena representing the mood of the

moment. We are constantly altering the forms we have inherited from

previous generations, and these changes are signs of life and vitality.

Indeed, the tilings that don't change, the forms that rigidify, come to look to

us like death, and we destroy them. The young show this most clearly:

Uncomfortable with the forms that society imposes upon them, having no

set identity, they play with their own characters, trying on a variety of

masks and poses to express themselves. This is the vitality that drives the

motor of form, creating constant changes in style.

The powerful are often people who in their youth have shown immense

creativity in expressing something new through a new form. Society grants

them power because it hungers for and rewards this sort of newness. The

problem comes later, when they often grow conservative and possessive.

They no longer dream of creating new forms; their identities are set, their

habits congeal, and their rigidity makes them easy targets. Everyone knows

their next move. Instead of demanding respect they elicit boredom: Get off

the stage! we say, let someone else, someone younger, entertain us. When

locked in the past, the powerful look comicalthey are overripe fruit, waiting

to fall from the tree.

Power can only thrive if it is flexible in its forms. To be formless is not

to be amorphous; everything has a formit is impossible to avoid. The

formlessness of power is more like that of water, or mercury, taking the

form of whatever is around it. Changing constantly, it is never predictable.

The powerful are constantly creating form, and their power comes from the

rapidity with which they can change. Their formlessness is in the eye of the

enemy who cannot see what they are up to and so has nothing solid to

attack. This is the premier pose of power: ungraspable, as elusive and swift

as the god Mercury, who could take any form he pleased and used this

ability to wreak havoc on Mount Olympus.

Human creations evolve toward abstraction, toward being more mental

and less material. This evolution is clear in art, which, in this century, made

the great discovery of abstraction and conceptualism; it can also be seen in

politics, which over time have become less overtly violent, more

complicated, indirect and cerebral. Warfare and strategy too have followed

this pattern. Strategy began in the manipulation of armies on land,

positioning them in ordered formations; on land, strategy is relatively two

dimensional, and controlled by topography. But all the great powers have

eventually taken to the sea, for commerce and colonization. And to protect

their trading lanes they have had to learn how to fight at sea. Maritime

warfare requires tremendous creativity and abstract thinking, since the lines

are constantly shifting. Naval captains distinguish themselves by their

ability to adapt to the literal fluidity of the terrain and to confuse the enemy

with an abstract, hard-to-anticipate form. They are operating in a third

dimension: the mind.

Back on land, guerrilla warfare too demonstrates this evolution toward

abstraction. T. E. Lawrence was perhaps the first modern strategist to de-

CHAHACTKH

To carry out the instinctual inhibition demanded by the modern world

and to be able to cope with the energy stasis which results from this

inhibition, the ego has to undergo a change. The ego, i.e., that part of the

person that is exposed to danger, becomes rigid, as we say, when it is

continually subjected to the same or similar conflicts between need and a

fear-inducing outer world. It acquires in this process a chronic,

automatically functioning mode of reaction, i.e., its “character. ” ft is as if

the affective personality armored itself, as if the hard shell it develops were

intended to deflect and weaken the blows of the outer world as-well as the

clamoring of the inner needs. This armoring makes the person less sensitive

to unpleasure, but also restricts his libidinal and aggressive motility and

thus reduces his capacity for achievement and pleasure. We say the ego has

become less flexible and more rigid, and that the ability to regulate the

energy economy depends on the extent of the armoring.

Wiihelm Reich, 1897-1957

velop the theory behind this kind of warfare, and to put it into practice.

His ideas influenced Mao, who found in his writings an uncanny Western

equivalent to wei-chi. Lawrence was working with Arabs fighting for tiieir

territory against the Turks. His idea was to make the Arabs blend into die

vast desert, never providing a target, never collecting together in one place.

As the Turks scrambled to fight this vaporous army, diey spread themselves

thin, wasting energy in moving from place to place. They had the superior

firepower but die Arabs kept the initiative by playing cat and mouse, giving

die Turks nothing to hold on to, destroying their morale. “Most wars were

wars of contact.... Ours should be a war of detachment,” Lawrence wrote.

“We were to contain the enemy by die silent tiireat of a vast unknown

desert, not disclosing ourselves till we attacked.”

This is the ultimate form of strategy. The war of engagement has

become far too dangerous and cosdy; indirection and elusiveness yield far

better results at a much lower cost. The main cost, in fact, is mentalthe

dunking it takes to align your forces in scattered patterns, and to undermine

the minds and psychology of your opponents. And nothing will infuriate

and disorient them more tiian formlessness. In a world where wars of

detachment are the order of die day, formlessness is crucial.

The first psychological requirement of formlessness is to train yourself

to take nothing personally. Never show any defensiveness. When you act

defensive, you show your emotions, revealing a clear form. Your opponents

will realize they have hit a nerve, an Achilles' heel. And diey will hit it

again and again. So train yourself to take nothing personally. Never let

anyone get your back up. Be like a slippery ball tilat cannot be held: Let no

one know what gets to you, or where your weaknesses he. Make your face a

formless mask and you will infuriate and disorient your scheming

colleagues and opponents.

One man who used diis technique was Baron James Rothschild. A

German Jew in Paris, in a culture decidedly unfriendly to foreigners,

Rothschild never took any attack on him personally or showed he had been

hurt in any way. He furthermore adapted himself to the political climate,

whatever it wasthe stiffly formal Restoration monarchy of Louis XVIII, die

bourgeois reign of Louis-Philippe, die democratic revolution of 1848, tiie

upstart Louis-Napoleon crowned emperor in 1852. Rotiischild accepted

them one and all, and blended in. He could afford to appear hypocritical or

opportunistic because he was valued for his money, not his politics; his

money was die currency of power. While he adapted and thrived, outwardly

never showing a form, all die otiier great families tilat had begun die

century immensely wealthy were ruined in the period's complicated shifts

and turns of fortune. Attaching tiiemselves to the past, they revealed their

embrace of a form.

Throughout history, the formless style of ruling has been most adeptiy

practiced by die queen who reigns alone. A queen is in a radically different

position from a king; because she is a woman, her subjects and courtiers are

likely to doubt her ability to rule, her strengdi of character. If she favors

one side in some ideological struggle, she is said to be acting out of

emotional attachment. Yet if she represses her emotions and plays die

authoritarian, in the male fashion, she arouses worse criticism still. Either

by nature or by experience, then, queens tend to adopt a flexible style of

governing that in die end often proves more powerful than the more direct,

male form.

Two female leaders exemplifying die formless style of rule are Queen

Elizabeth of England and Empress Catherine the Great of Russia. In die

violent wars between Catholics and Protestants, Elizabeth steered a middle

course. She avoided alliances that would commit her to one side, and that

over time would harm the country. She managed to keep her country at

peace until it was strong enough for war. Her reign was one of the most

glorious in history because of her incredible capacity to adapt and her

flexible ideology.

CaUierine die Great too evolved an improvisatory style of governing.

After she deposed her husband, Emperor Peter II, taking sole control of

Russia in 1762, no one thought she would survive. But she had no

preconceived ideas, no philosophy or theory to dictate her policies.

Although a foreigner (she came from Germany), she understood Russia's

moods, and how it was changing over the years. “One must govern in such

a way that one's people think they themselves want to do what one

commands them to do,” she said, and to do this she had to be always a step

ahead of their desires and to adapt to their resistance. By never forcing die

issue, she reformed Russia in a strikingly short period of time.

This feminine, formless style of ruling may have emerged as a way of

prospering under difficult circumstances, but it has proved immensely

seductive to those who have served under it. Being fluid, it is relatively easy

for its subjects to obey, for they feel less coerced, less bent to their ruler's

ideology. It also opens up options where an adherence to a doctrine closes

them off. Without committing to one side, it allows the ruler to play one

enemy off anodier. Rigid rulers may seem strong, but with time their

inflexibility wears on the nerves, and their subjects find ways to push them

from the stage. Flexible, formless rulers will be much criticized, but they

will endure, and people will eventually come to identify witii them, since

diey are as tiieir subjects arechanging widi die wind, open to circumstance.

Despite upsets and delays, die permeable style of power generally

triumphs in the end, just as Athens eventually won victory over Sparta

tiirough its money and its culture. When you find yourself in conflict with

someone stronger and more rigid, allow diem a momentary victory. Seem to

bow to tiieir superiority. Then, by being formless and adaptable, slowly

insinuate yourself into their soul. This way you will catch them off guard,

for rigid people are always ready to ward off direct blows but are helpless

against the subde and insinuating. To succeed at such a strategy you must

play die chameleonconform on die surface, while breaking down your

enemy from the inside.

For centuries the Japanese would accept foreigners graciously, and

appeared susceptible to foreign cultures and influences. Joao Rodriguez, a

Portuguese priest who arrived in Japan in 1577 and lived there for many

years, wrote, “I am flabbergasted by the Japanese willingness to try and

accept everything Portuguese.” He saw Japanese in die streets wearing

Portuguese clothing, with rosary beads at their necks and crosses at their

hips. This might seem like a weak, mutable culture, but Japan's adaptability

actually protected the country from having an alien culture imposed by

military invasion. It seduced the Portuguese and other Westerners into

believing the Japanese were yielding to a superior culture when actually the

foreign culture's ways were merely a fashion to be donned and doffed.

Under the surface, Japanese culture thrived. Had the Japanese been rigid

about foreign influences and tried to fight them off, they might have

suffered the injuries that the West inflicted on China. That is the power of

formlessnessit gives the aggressor nothing to react against, nothing to hit.

In evolution, largeness is often the first step toward extinction. What is

immense and bloated has no mobility, but must constantly feed itself. The

unintelligent are often seduced into believing that size connotes power, die

bigger the better.

In 483 B.C., King Xerxes of Persia invaded Greece, believing he could

conquer the country in one easy campaign. After all, he had the largest

army ever assembled for one invasionthe historian Herodotus estimated it at

over more than five million. The Persians planned to build a bridge across

the Hellespont to overrun Greece from the land, while tiieir equally

immense navy would pin the Greek ships in harbor, preventing their forces

from escaping to sea. The plan seemed sure, yet as Xerxes prepared the

invasion, his adviser Artabanus warned his master of grave misgivings:

“The two mightiest powers in the world are against you,” he said. Xerxes

laughedwhat powers could match his gigantic army “I will tell you what

they are,” answered Artabanus. “The land and the sea.” There were no safe

harbors large enough to receive Xerxes' fleet. And die more land die

Persians conquered, and die longer their supply lines stretched, the more

ruinous the cost of feeding tiiis immense army would prove.

Thinking his adviser a coward, Xerxes proceeded with the invasion. Yet

as Artabanus predicted, bad weadier at sea decimated the Persian fleet,

which was too large to take shelter in any harbor. On land, meanwhile, the

Persian army destroyed everything in its path, which only made it

impossible to feed, since the destruction included crops and stores of food.

It was also an easy and slow-moving target. The Greeks practiced all kinds

of deceptive maneuvers to disorient the Persians. Xerxes' eventual defeat at

the hands of die Greek allies was an immense disaster. The story is

emblematic of all Uiose who sacrifice mobility for size: The flexible and

fleet of foot will almost always win, for they have more strategic options.

The more gigantic the enemy, the easier it is to induce collapse.

The need for formlessness becomes greater the older we get, as we grow

more likely to become set in our ways and assume too rigid a form.

We become predictable, always the first sign of decrepitude. And

predictability makes us appear comical. Although ridicule and disdain

might seem mild forms of attack, they are actually potent weapons, and will

eventually erode a foundation of power. An enemy who does not respect

you will grow bold, and boldness makes even the smallest animal

dangerous.

The late-eighteenth-century court of France, as exemplified by Marie-

Antoinette, had become so hopelessly tied to a rigid formality that the

average Frenchman thought it a silly relic. This depreciation of a centuries-

old institution was the first sign of a terminal disease, for it represented a

symbolic loosening of the people's ties to monarchy. As the situation

worsened, Marie-Antoinette and King Louis XVI grew only more rigid in

their adherence to the pastand quickened their path to the guillotine. King

Charles I of England reacted similarly to the tide of democratic change

brewing in England in the 1630s: He disbanded Parliament, and his court

rituals grew increasingly formal and distant. He wanted to return to an older

style of ruling, with adherence to all kinds of petty protocol. His rigidity

only heightened the desire for change. Soon, of course, he was swept up in

a devastating civil war, and eventually he lost his head to the executioner's

axe.

As you get older, you must rely even less on the past. Be vigilant lest

the form your character has taken makes you seem a relic. It is not a matter

of mimicking the fashions of youththat is equally worthy of laughter. Rather

your mind must constantly adapt to each circumstance, even the inevitable

change that the time has come to move over and let those of younger age

prepare for their ascendancy. Rigidity will only make you look uncannily

like a cadaver.

Never forget, though, that formlessness is a strategic pose. It gives you

room to create tactical surprises; as your enemies struggle to guess your

next move, they reveal their own strategy, putting them at a decided

disadvantage. It keeps the initiative on your side, putting your enemies in

the position of never acting, constantly reacting. It foils their spying and

intelligence. Remember: Formlessness is a tool. Never confuse it with a go-

with-the-flow style, or with a religious resignation to the twists of fortune.

You use formlessness, not because it creates inner harmony and peace, but

because it will increase your power.

Finally, learning to adapt to each new circumstance means seeing events

through your own eyes, and often ignoring the advice that people constantly

peddle your way. It means that ultimately you must throw out the laws that

others preach, and the books they write to tell you what to do, and the sage

advice of the elder. “The laws that govern circumstances are abolished by

new circumstances,” Napoleon wrote, which means diat it is up to you to

gauge each new situation. Rely too much on other people's ideas and you

end up taking a form not of your own making. Too much respect for other

people's wisdom will make you depreciate your own. Be brutal with the

past, especially your own, and have no respect for the philosophies that are

foisted on you from outside.

Image: Mercury. The winged messenger,

god of commerce, patron saint of thieves, gamblers, and all those who

deceive through

swiftness. The day Mercury was born he invented die lyre; by that

evening he had stolen the cattle of Apollo. He would scour the world,

assuming

whatever form he desired. Like the liquid metal

named after him, he embodies the elusive, the ungraspablethe power of

formlessness.

Authority: Therefore the consummation of forming an army is to arrive

at formlessness. Victory in war is not repetitious, but adapts its form

endlessly. ... A military force has no constant formation, water has no

constant shape: The ability to gain victory by changing and adapting

according to the opponent is called genius. (Sun-tzu, fourth century B.C.)

REVERSAL

Using space to disperse and create an abstract pattern should not mean

forsaking the concentration of your power when it is valuable to you.

Formlessness makes your enemies hunt all over for you, scattering their

own forces, mental as well as physical. When you finally engage them,

though, hit them with a powerful, concentrated blow. That is how Mao

succeeded against the Nationalists: He broke their forces into small, isolated

units, which he then could easily overwhelm with a strong attack. The law

of concentration prevailed.

When you play with formlessness, keep on top of the process, and keep

your long-term strategy in mind. When you assume a form and go on the

attack, use concentration, speed, and power. As Mao said, “ When we fight

you, we make sure you can't get away.”

48 Laws of Power

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